


Swords & Sorcery

by MirrorandImage



Category: Yoroiden Samurai Troopers | Ronin Warriors
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bonding during adventure, David Eddings Inspired, God we were so young when we wrote this, epic adventure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-09-01
Updated: 2005-05-02
Packaged: 2020-08-09 18:03:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 236,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20122576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MirrorandImage/pseuds/MirrorandImage
Summary: Map of The World





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> [Map of The World](https://web.archive.org/web/20140906112533/http://mnilibrary.envy.nu/Library/Ronin/ss/map.jpg)

As all peoples about this world know, there are three god families. However, a select few know the reason _why_ the universe is such. Once, long before our ancient times were even ancient, in a time so far back as to be unfathomable by we poor creatures of this world, there was an argument. Yes, just as peoples today argue and bicker, so to, did the gods in long past ancient times. The reason has long since been forgotten, and even were it not; we tiny souls could not fathom what the gods could argue about. Perhaps it was about whether or not a star should be placed by another star. Perhaps it was about how deep the oceans should go. Thus, we bits of dust only know what was, not why it was.

This argument was between a mere two of the god families. These two god families were the only ones in existence in those times, and each god had great loyalty to his or her family. Just as each member of a family today has great loyalty, both to his family, but also their ruler, and their god. So a bitter war began up in the heavens between the families. After countless years upon countless years of fighting, the two god families called upon a temporary truce. The heads of each family met alone, and in secret, to come up with a more agreeable solution. Even today, it is the wise rulers who avoid bloodshed as much as possible and treat all, no matter who they are, fairly.

Thus, the two family heads met. Both had spent generations fighting, the reason already lost by that point. Since neither could reach a settlement to stop the warring that was agreeable to both sides, a clever and wise compromise was struck. The wise heads of the two god families both agreed that the warring that was going on would eventually destroy the entire vast universe. Already, stars were destroyed; planets vanquished; incomprehensible numbers of lives lost. Therefore, the agreement that was reached allowed both god families to keep fighting while no longer causing harm to the universe.

Now before this history continues, it must be absolutely understood that neither of the god families is entirely good, or entirely evil. This humble author cannot stress this quality enough, for it must be with open minds that we read this text. While a god may be produced who has such qualities as purity and vileness, they do not represent the entire family. The same truth is here on this earth; that a Hashiban does not have to be a gambler, nor does a Lugan have to be a warrior, or an elf self-contained. One person does not represent a people. That one fact must be understood through and through. For here, in our world, we have two gods who represent such total opposites. One is the very embodiment of evil; the other is the purest of pure. Thus let the history continue.

The agreement that the two god families reached was a sort of tournament. One god from each family would challenge a god from the other. If the challenge was accepted, then a world would be created, and the two would have to fight to get the peoples' adoration and make the planet their home. Should a god loose, then the god would return to their family, in disgrace and dishonor, merely hoping that a god from the other family would challenge them so that they could redeem their worth.

'How does one know which god has won?' demanded one of the gods during this most trying meeting. This question vexed the two heads of the god families that the agreement almost failed upon that very moment, prompting minor fights to break out between the families once again. With this laying heavily upon their hearts, the two god family heads finally came upon an answer that would quiet the rage of their warring families. A third family of gods would be created, with equal power to the other two. This family of gods would not be biased to one family or another, as it would take both families to create the third. It was to be this third family that would create a world for the two gods to battle, and it was also to be this third family to put limits and rules upon both gods to follow.

And so the deal was struck, and both god family heads sealed it by using their own blood to create the third family of gods. Thus, no one in either family could rebel against such a compromise.

And so it was that the universe was once again in peace to grow, as it should. On each planet, there exist three gods, two representing the warring families, and one to act as judge over the two, and declare who would win.

* * *

When our planet was created, one vile, evil, hate-filled god chose to fight against the purest, most benevolent, most loving god. When both agreed, they went to the third family. The third family chose a young female godling to be the unbiased watcher for our world. These three gods are Arago, Kaosu, and Kayura.

Kayura-sama created several rules for this planet, for she is a very nurturing goddess. She did not want the people to fight on their gods' behalf and slaughter each other. No, Kayura-sama wished to limit the suffering of the people as Arago and Kaosu fought to gain the people's hearts. However, she also understood that there was indeed a fight going on. Thus she chose ten representatives from our world. Two were most definitely sworn to one of the gods. They are the disciples of Arago and Kaosu. Under Arago is the sly and cunning Badamon, and under Kaosu, is the virtuous and kind Ryo.

When Kayura-sama created this world, she also created many races to give a great variety, for like a mother, she cannot love one people over another. She created the Tenkuu to liven the skies; the Suiko, to protect to ocean; the Kitsune to frolic in the woods; the elves to guard the forests; the Kongo to climb the mountains, the Sthissians to understand potions, and humans to thrive anywhere. She created many more types of people, but alas, those peoples not in memory were lost long ago.

Once the world and rules were established by the benevolent Kayura-sama, she waited. Arago and Kaosu went about their planning, taking centuries upon centuries to watch and wait. While doing so, humans multiplied and spread across the planet and the mountains that separated the two gods. Countries where formed and the gods were either ignored or forgotten. However, the gods Arago and Kaosu did not forget the people, and both meddled in the world, to shape it more towards their plans. Thus, it was Arago who gave Sthiss a Kamek, just as it was Kaosu who isolated the elves. Both did many such deeds, and our tiny eyes can see only blessed few.

Kayura-sama watched over all and grieved as some of the peoples she created were slowly destroyed. She watched over both Arago and Kaosu, not liking their indirect methods, but not discouraging. It was when Arago came to her, showing his disciple Badamon for the first time that Kayura-sama was given inspiration, though how such an event could inspire Kayura-sama is something unknown to this very day. She called upon Arago and Kaosu, and explained that one final rule was to be placed upon the match. Each of the three gods was to create an item for the chosen ones to utilize on their quest to choose between the two gods. She did not specify what each god was to make, merely that an item needed be made and given unto her. She would hide these three items, so that each side would have to search for them.

And so the gods returned home and began to create the items that Kayura-sama requested. Each item was a reflection of the gods. The warrior-like god Arago created a pair of swords, called the Go Retsu Ken. The gentle Kaosu sought something to work with emotions, and thus fashioned a jewel beyond beauty called the Inochi no Madatama. Kayura-sama, in her benevolent way, wished for something to shed light and truth, so she created the Kikoutei mirror. With all three gifts finished, Kayura-sama hid them, where, no one knows.

Unfortunately, shortly after hiding the magnificent gifts, tragedy struck the compassionate Kayura-sama. The vile beast Arago sent the snake Badamon to kidnap Kayura and set dark magic to force her to see his twisted method of viewing things. This wretched betrayal of the rules that Kayura-sama had put forth was not discovered until the peaceful Kaosu went to introduce his new disciple, the virtuous shape shifter Ryo to her. Ryo, though new to being a follower of Kaosu, pledged to return Kayura-sama to her proper home in the mountains separating Arago and Kaosu. With the help of Kayura-sama's first follower, the humble Kenbukyo and his two tigers, Ryo started upon the long road to Arago's temple, deep in the dessert country, Yuuki. While Ryo took the steps to train his self in the powers he'd been granted with Kenbukyo's help, Kaosu called upon the countries on his side of the mountains to gain time for Ryo's training.

Kaosu first traveled to Peace, the capital of Lilimundralle, Ryo's country of birth. At such a time, the capital was still very new, and though they preferred to stay as their namesake, the wise leader agreed that the kidnapping of a goddess by the loathsome Arago could not be resolved peacefully. Together, he traveled with Kaosu down the River Kaosu to Shea Shea, the capital of Yang Shi, a lucrative trading town. There, the ruler also agreed to join in Kaosu's fight to regain Kayura-sama. Together, they traveled further down the river to Suiss, the capital of Sthiss. The high Kamek of Sthiss joined Kaosu, naturally and then continued up the River Kaosu and crossed into Hashiba. Once in Tou Hashiba, the king hesitated. At the time, Hashiba was a very small and much forested country, and the king, thinking of his people, did not think he had anything to give to the cause though he agreed with Kaosu very strongly on the need to get Kayura-sama back. However, the emperor of Yang Shi, the high Kamek of Sthiss, and the king of Lilimundralle were able to persuade the noble king of Hashiba to join in their fight. There, Kaosu left them to start planning, and he visited the fabled Daasa Laska of what was to become the light elves in the Korin Forest. The wise high elder refused to join in the human's fight, because there were other elves across the mountains in the Yami Forest, and they did not wish to fight their kin.

And so, with the army massing, Kaosu crossed the mountains and unto the salt dessert of Yuuki. Thus began the Fifty Year War recorded in all history books. However, Arago had recruited his own army to fight Kaosu. He had Yuukis, the dessert people, who knew the land, and the Yami Forest Elves, as well as the few inhabitants of the marshes south of the Salt River.

The war was long and bloody, and death feasted upon the blood that was spilled. Never has our world seen such a battle. As the war started to draw to a close, Ryo finally finished his training at Kaosu's Keep in Lilimundralle. Kenbukyo returned to Yamchii, his home, while Ryo went to his home to gather supplies needed for his long journey. Once ready for the battle he was to face, he shifted form into a bird and took flight. However, after leaving his farm, he saw something upon the vast fields of Lilimundralle. What he had discovered were the Go Retsu Ken, the gift that the treacherous Arago had made. Thus armed, he continued to fly to Yuuki and Arago's Temple, which lay within. In the dark temple of the evil god, Ryo fought valiantly against Arago's forces and freed the gentle Kayura-sama.

However, such a victory was not without price. The Fifty Year War ended with devastation on both sides. Some peoples were so devastated, that they stayed in the mountains to form Luga, and choose to forget the two gods that had cost them so much. Such is the reason why the Lugans are followers of Kayura-sama and not Arago or Kaosu. However, this situation would normally prove to Kayura-sama that Kaosu had won and Arago would be returned to the family that he belonged to. Unfortunately, Kayura-sama was returned unto her home, Mt. Kayura, in Luga, and was dazed, and not herself. And so Kaosu sent the virtuous Ryo to Yamchii to request from Kenbukyo the Kikoutei Mirror, so that Kayura-sama might be restored to her normal self.

Ever obedient to the loving Kaosu, Ryo went to Yamchii and talked with the noble Kenbukyo. Kenbukyo agreed to manifest the Kikoutei Mirror, but unbeknownst to Ryo, Kenbukyo was aware that bringing forth the Kikoutei from its hiding place would cost him his life. Such was Kenbukyo's love for Kayura-sama, as her first follower.

Ryo received the Kikoutei, but was greatly saddened by Kenbukyo's death. The self-sacrificing Kenbukyo left behind two tiger cubs, Byakuen and Kokueno. Byakuen followed Ryo back to Mt. Kayura, and became Ryo's most trusted friend and ally. Kokueno, so grieved by his master's death, stayed behind, and protected his master's descendants, becoming the family guardian and aid.

The Kikoutei Mirror did indeed restore Kayura-sama back to her normal self, but alas, she had no memory of what happened, thus leaving her unable to judge Kaosu as the winner and banish Arago.

After such a harrowing and costly experience, all three gods decided to leave the world alone, and await the coming of the other eight chosen ones, who would choose which god would be the god of our world. During this time, the countries started to recuperate from the war, and grow and prosper.

Hashiba, as you all know, is a rich scholarly country, and what helped them to recover after such a devastating war was the invention of paper. Hashiba, being the bureaucratic monarchy it is, used quite a lot of parchment that simply could not last for the purposes they needed. So, since their country was mostly forest, they looked to the wood they always carved to find a better solution. With profits making their way to the national treasury, as is Hashiba's goal, no matter what the way, the king of the time thought of bettering trade. Since Hashiba has no access to rivers they decided to create a settlement in the Korin woods, called Ro Hashiba, on the Bay of Elves.

The elves, needless to say, did not appreciate a settlement in their sacred wood. However, the Hashibans would not back down. So, after almost two hundred years of peace after the Fifty Year War, The Korin elves and Hashiba went to war. The Korin Forest is now called the Roanoke Woods, the Woods of the Lost, named after that war.

Meanwhile, Luga started to form and grow after the Fifty Year War. They chose an unusual type of government that they call a "democracy". They elect officials that last for life, unless the citizens vote to dissolve the official and elect a new one. Higher positions even have local advisors. Their ruler discovered that in the mountains were vast mineral deposits, especially of iron. Using this fact, combined with the soldiers left over from the Fifty Year War, Luga started to make weapons, and learn masonry. When the Elvin War came, the Lugans jumped at an opportunity to make money. Their weapons sold at a good price, as so did the mercenaries and masonries.

However, the Hashibans and the Light Elves did not wish for the war to continue as the Fifty Year War did. So they decided to make a boundary, not listed on any map, though easily seen. Should one go to the eastern parts of Hashiba, a wall of forest will appear, and these are the sacred Roanoke Woods of the Korin elves. As a part of the agreement, the Hashibans granted not to use any of the Roanoke for wood, and the elves would guide any lost human to the edge of the forest.

The next five hundred years after the Elvin wars, the world was generally in peace until Yang Shi looked northward to Lilimundralle's vast plains and saw more feeding ground for their vast herds of cattle and horses. Thinking it only right to take the fertile farmland and gentle hills, Yang Shi's Tribe Emperor gathered his supporting tribes and crossed the River Kaosu.

The gentle people of Lilimundralle were unprepared for the vicious attacks of the mounted Yang Shians. With little weapons beyond shovels and pitch forks, the Lilimundrallians retreated to the Bread River to decide how to best fight the Yang Shians. Those who abandoned their homes set fire to their crops, not wishing for the Yang Shians to use their lands to graze. As the retreat continued, more and more farmers burned their crops. Finally, upon the Bread River, the Lilimundrallians gathered what they could and set upon ships. Leaving behind a few to divert the Yang Shians, the Lilimundrallians set anchor in Peace Bay, landing on the Yang Shi side of the water. With the warriors of Yang Shi ravaging their country, the Lilimundrallians started to set fire to the land that their invaders came from, killing livestock as they could.

The Yang Shians realized the error in their greed after most of their cattle and horses were burned and poached. The Emperor of Yang Shi and the King of Lilimundralle met to make peace. Both countries agreed to stay at their original boarders and no longer look to the grasses over the River Kaosu. Thus ended the Grass War. Unfortunately, there were grave repercussions.

Lilimundralle is a farm country, and with all their crops destroyed, the eastern side of the mountains fell into a famine. Bread, fruits, grain, all were almost impossible to get. For Yang Shi, with their livestock killed, a famine of a different kind started for the countries under the River Kaosu. Meat and cheeses became very dear, as did fine steeds. The whole world fell into a depression that lasted almost a millennium, till almost three hundred years ago. Luga continued to prosper during the wars, as they often did, but the lack of food hit hard when winter came. So the whole world suffered.

During all this time, Sthiss remained on consistently unstable ground. By far, Sthiss has one of the more peculiar situations in the world. Sthiss is the jungle country, nestled between Luga, Yang Shi, and Lilimundralle, which is inhabited by a race of snake-like humans, who have a natural ability to understand the various poisons that surround them. In ancient times, when the church of Kaosu was established, Arago took a corrupt priest who had a bitter hatred for anything that was not human and stationed him in Suiss. So repulsed by the Sthissians was the priest, that he wrote back lies to his superior. He claimed that the Sthissians were so corrupt that they had to be spies for the cursed Arago, using their powders and plants to gain information and send it back to Yuuki, through Thiss, the city at the narrowest part of the Lugan Mountains. He also claimed that the Sthissians openly cursed Kaosu's good name and killed any priest sent to Sthiss.

Whether or not these claims were true, no one will ever know. The results, however, are still being felt today. The dishonest priest was told he could do as he wished to make Sthiss a loyal country under Kaosu once again. The priest called for an army of priests, proclaimed himself Kamek, and placed himself at the head of the country. As Kamek, he killed as many Sthissians as he could train his priests to, and lay waste to the jungle, all in an attempt to "purify" the "defiled" country. Needless to say, the Sthissians did not appreciate the vindictiveness of their new ruler. So they fought back and they have continued to do so ever since. The Kamek is no longer as bloody as the original was, but little has improved beyond that. The country is divided between humans, and the human controlled city Suiss; and Sthissians who control Zisuss, deep in the jungle.

Very little is known of Yuuki, the dessert country to the west of the Lugan Mountains. We Easterners do not know how they have fared since the Fifty Year war, other than the fact that they have never acted in a trustworthy manner, nor have they ever treated us with respect.

  
_Paraphrased from "Our World-What We Never Knew" Author Unknown_

* * *

Old Yagyu replaced the old volume onto the shelves in his ancient library. The only known copy of that book had been in his family's care ever since the great Kenbukyo first wrote it. Future generations had kept the book up to date, but it was the most accurate history of the world ever recorded. Yagyu wasn't sure why he read through the book this particular evening. He must be getting sentimental. Running his fingers across the books on the shelf, the old mustached man felt at home. He had always preferred things that were older than him, such as the item that their family had protected since before their recorded history. He picked up the candle he had been reading by and started to head to bed.

Passing by his granddaughter Nasutei's room, he couldn't help but smile with pride. She had grown up to be such a lovely and intelligent girl. Girl, she was a full woman now. Her parents would be so proud of her if they were still alive. Gently opening the door, Yagyu silently walked over to her bed and leaned over, kissing her forehead. He could feel it. She was going to be a part of history. He only hoped he would be alive long enough to see it.

Yagyu left her room and went down the dark airy halls. That was the only problem with living on the marshes. It was so muggy and dank. The older he got, the more the very air he breathed seemed to oppose him. _Ah to be young again_. He silently padded down the stairs to the basement of their house. The old man still had to check on one more thing before he went to bed, as he did every night since he took over the family. The item was put in their care centuries ago, and needed to be checked on frequently. Yagyu had made a habit of checking it every morning and evening, aside from when Nasutei wanted to study it.

Once in the basement, he could feel his old bones stiffen. Something was wrong. Very wrong, he could feel it. Someone was here, and they had the item in their possession. This could not be tolerated. It couldn't be time yet, could it? Why now? Did that mean that Nasutei would be the one? That the Decision would be made in her generation? No wonder he felt great things for her. She would see her destiny through with grace and dignity, of course. Of that Yagyu was certain. But he now had his own destiny to fulfill. He knew what it was now.

_Nasutei, I hope everything goes well for you, and I pray you don't suffer because of your fate. I wish you well, and I'm sorry I will not see you complete your destiny._

Silently, Yagyu pulled out an ancient dagger that he always kept at his side. The dagger had been blessed by Kayura-sama; eons ago when an ancestor had worked for her till his death. He only hoped it would be enough now. Creeping along the wall, he came to the secret door, an old bookshelf, leading to where the item had been kept. The shelf was ripped apart, revealing a whole in the wall. Slipping inside, Yagyu saw what he expected.

An old blue-skinned man was leaning over the box where the item had been stored. The odd-colored man stroked his long thing mustache and beard, muttering something to himself.

"Disciple Badamon," Yagyu stated, cutting the silence.

"Descendant of Kenbukyo. How annoying." Badamon's face twisted into a sneer.

"That gift is not yours to utilize. It belongs to someone else."

"Really? Well it belongs to Arago-sama now."

Talk was no longer an option. Yagyu rushed forward, knife ready to stab. Raising the item he had procured, Badamon gasped and yelled. The item let loose a bright light, blinding Yagyu. The item was being used, as it was supposed to when this time came.

_Goodbye, Nasutei-chan. I will see you gain . . . _

* * *

Upstairs, Nasutei bolted up out of bed. "Ojii-sama! Iyaaaaaaa!!!!!"


	2. The Outlet 01

There was a place in the northwestern corner of Lilimundralle called the Outlet. It was where the northern most tip of Sthiss, the mountains of Luga, and southwestern Hashiba all converged. Lilimundralle had the official claim on the land, but really it was as its namesake. It was an outlet for all types of peoples to gather and trade. It was a city of tents that stretched from the River Kaosu to the Hashiban forests.

This was where Touma Hashiba had run. He looked over the expanse of colored tents and awnings, marveling at the sheer number of people about him. The plain clothed Lilimundrallians, the armored Lugans, the leathered Yang Shians, even the simple outfits of elves, both dark and light.

Of course, Touma was trying very hard to avoid the elaborately clothed Hashibans. Would any of them see him or even a glimpse of his blue hair, he would be whisked back to his uncle and forced to continue his education. The mere thought of seeing the look on his uncle's face made Touma shiver, and he made sure that his hood covered every bit of sky colored hair on his head.

Touma moved about the tents, noting that some of the tents were color coded. Blue was for books and parchment, brown for weapons, green for herbs, and yellow for perishables. Cattle were not sold at the Outlet, it was too much of a journey from the plains of Yang Shi, but there was some horse trading and, at the western side, some horse racing. One could find anything in the Outlet. Just now Touma spied a jeweled necklace of sapphire that his mother would have flipped over. Inside a red woodworking tent was a small chest that would fetch a high price anywhere.

Wandering about, Touma felt secure in the atmosphere. The relaxed nature of the people, even the suspicious Yang Shians, spread over the young man as he perused through a garden tent. People haggled back and forth about prices, and many a tradesman shoved something into Touma's face, saying that this was the best of the known world, and the cheapest anywhere. Touma did not have the finances to buy anything other than supplies, however, if he wanted to make it to southern Yang Shi. Touma had thought that he had brought enough money, however dodging Hashibans proved to be costlier than he anticipated. He had already had to backtrack through mountainous Luga and even into the Sthiss jungle to make sure he ran across no Hashibans. The journey was significantly costlier than he had initially anticipated, so he had come to the Outlet to make enough money to further his journey.

However, Touma spied the jeweled capes and hoods of Hashiban officers. Quickly, the blue haired man ducked into the nearest tent, a food awning where the people would sit down and eat after a long day bargaining.

Said lunch awning was busier than he had thought. A crowd was gathering in the center of the awning, cheering and making bets. Curious, and certain that the attention would be drawn from himself, Touma made his way to the crowd, slowly making his way in to get a better vantage point.

"Get him! Get him! No, no! Get up ya loser!"

"My money's on the orange guy!"

"Double that on the redhead!"

"Naw way, the merc's gonna get it!"

Touma could gather the content of the display that was drawing the crowd, but he was still shocked when he finally did see it. A stout, ash haired man, no older than Touma himself, was going up against a redheaded, scared, mountain of muscle. Touma was no expert in brawls, but it looked as though the ash haired man was winning.

"Stupid," muttered someone in the crowd. Touma was surprised he could hear it over the deafening shouts and jeers. "No drunk's gonna beat a trained Lugan. Don't care how buzzed he is."

Touma looked on as the ash haired man, clad in an orange tunic, maneuvered the redheaded drunk into a headlock. A crack was heard and the redhead fell.

"Anybody else wanna try and take my seat when I'm sitting on it?" the man asked, a wide grin on his equally wide face.

"I'll take that challenge!" shouted a random voice.

"And me!"

"And me!"

"Three on one?" the orange clad man asked. "Don't you think you need better odds against me?"

"Arrogant little merc!" The three men, all burly and all just as drunk as the scarred redhead, dove at the ash haired fighter.

Touma just rolled his eyes. Nothing worth seeing here. Slowly slipping out of the crowd that continued to cheer the fight on, he made his way out the far side of the awning when he was sure that there were no Hashibans in sight. He walked for a few more minutes when he spied more of his countrymen. Were they everywhere? Rolling his eyes, Touma stopped a priest that was running towards him.

"Excuse me, monk-sir," he said politely. "Where's the temple tent?"

"Oh," said the brown haired priest. "It's three, uh, I guess blocks down and two to the left."

"Thank you."

"Of course. Sir, I heard that there was a fight going on. Do you know where?"

"Lunch awning. Just keep going this way, you can't miss it."

"Thank you, sir. Kaosu be with you."

Touma blinked. He hadn't heard a parting that old in a while. "Uh, and to you, I think." But his words were lost as the priest rushed down the way Touma had come. The blue haired man thought he heard the priest mumble something about Lugans, but could not ask a man who was no longer there to extrapolate. Besides, the Hashibans he had seen were now further down the path and looking away from him. Smiling to himself, Touma continued on.

The priest had brought up a point in wondering how locations were called in the tented Outlet. Touma knew that temples were called temple tents, because even they were not permanent structures. But were the paths called paths, roads, avenues, or streets? The collection of tents was set up into blocks, roughly coordinated in some places, but were the blocks called blocks? How did one know where a specific tent was without giving detailed instructions or maps?

Touma shrugged and decided to ask anyone who was in the temple tent. He quickened his pace and turned left where he was told.

The temple tent was hard to miss, and perhaps the most permanent place in the Outlet, as tents went. The awning that was the roof was at least two-dozen feet from the ground, supported by metal poles. The metal poles were supported with stone and mortar on either side. The walls were the heaviest lined cloth available. The temple tents were the only structures in the Outlet that had clearly defined boundaries, apparently a large problem in the Outlet. Because tents and awnings in particular could easily be adjusted and moved about so as to expand or utilize space more efficiently, many tradesmen would fight over whether another's establishment was moving in on their space. The temple tent did not have that problem. With the stone corners and heavy lining, there was no doubt about where the structure started and stopped.

Touma looked around, and, making sure that there was no Hashiban in sight, removed his hood in respect to the temple and headed in.

Inside the temple were several rows of benches, meant to be pews. The only other person inside was a blond man clad in a simple green tunic. Touma sat well behind him and looked around. Kaosan temples by their very nature were simple. On the cloth walls were a few small paintings depicting some of the miracles the god Kaosu had made. So small were the paintings that Touma could only make out the one on the wall nearest him. It was of a black haired man wielding the fabled Go Retsu Ken against the western army of the Fifty Year War. The western army was blackened and bloody, supposedly because of one swipe of the twin swords. Touma rolled his eyes at the impossibility of it and looked ahead, instead studying the altar.

The altar was also simple, in keeping with Kaosan tradition. It consisted of a tall table, covered in a rich blue cloth, with two rows of candles on either side of an elegant flower arrangement. The flowers were fresh and the candles only recently lit. Obviously, the priest took good care of the altar and his temple.

Suddenly, the blond man in front of him stood. He turned, revealing himself to be a light elf, his fair skin and slightly pointed ears a dead giveaway. The elf stared at Touma before walking back to his pew and sitting next to him, adjusting his long sword.

"What are you doing here, Touma-sama?" he asked.

"W-w-w-w-what? You must have me mistaken for someone else!" Touma laughed nervously and started to edge away.

"You are wrong, Prince Touma. You forget that you hair gives you away as much as my ears give me way."

Touma's shoulders slumped and his head dropped in defeat. He had forgotten that he had taken his hood off when entering the temple tent. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

The elf's face did not change as he said, "You seem to have forgotten me. We were introduced the day before you ran away. I am Date Seiji, your emissary."

"My WHAT!"

"Many were assigned to you; I should not be surprised that you do not remember me. I have been waiting for over two weeks for you to arrive here in the Outlet."

"How did you know I was going to be here?"

"This is not the first time you have run away. Even in the Korin Forrest, tales of your attempts to escape the crown are well known and often spoken of."

Touma's head dropped lower. "I'm that predictable?"

"This was the only place you had not tried yet. Had you waited another day before entering, I would have left and this would never have happened."

"Don't try to make this my fault!"

"You did run, did you not?"

"I was given over thirty emissaries in one day! That was like saying, 'Here, since you don't want to be king, we'll give you all these little helpers to force you to be king!' How unfair is that?"

"I am hardly one to judge. I know that I consider it unfair that I am forced to be your emissary just to learn your ways and become a better elder."

"You're going to be an elder?"

"When my training is over, yes."

"Do you want to be one?"

"It is a great honor to be one, Touma-sama. But I hate learning how to be one."

"Heh, then I guess we have a bit in common."

They were interrupted by a resounding crash.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin! It was just getting good!"

"Shuu! I can't believe you were brawling! That is so beneath you! What would your parents say? What would your Kayura-sama say?"

"Both would cheer me on to win!"

"Shuuuuuuuuuu!"

"Aw, come on, Shin! You're a priest, right? Priests learn to fight!"

"That-that's entirely beside the point! I-huh?" The brown haired priest from before looked up from his shaking of the orange clad mercenary to see Seiji and Touma gaping at them. "A-ahahahaha," the priest laughed nervously. "May I help you with something?"

"Aw, come on, Shin!" the ash haired mercenary said, another grin on his face. "What were you gonna say? I bet something about 'following the virtues of the righteous Kaosu-sama'?"

"If he were, I believe that is where I come in."

The four young men looked over to the altar to see a black haired, blue-eyed man in a red tunic with a pair of swords on his back. His clothing was vaguely like that of a priest.

"I'm glad you're all finally made it," the unnamed stranger smiled.

* * *

A white haired one-eyed man skulked around the Outlet, cursing his boss for sending him to this side of the mountains. Things were going just fine back home, so why did he have to cross the Yuuki Salt Dessert and then the Lugan Mountains to come to this unfriendly herd of sheep? To find five people who would oppose them? Unheard of. What was that blue-skinned idiot of a boss thinking!

He let out a long sigh. "Get a hold of yourself Rajura. You aren't the only one on assignment." At least he could take pleasure in the fact that his cohorts didn't like being on this side of the mountains any more than he did. Unfortunately, he had the most difficult assignment of the four of them. The damn Kitsune Shuten was getting a surprise ready in the capital of Hashiba. Since Rajura was looking for a group of five and one had to be of Tenkuu decent, it had to be that brat of a prince. Playing lackey to that perverted king couldn't be pleasant so that at least was comforting. Meanwhile, that two-tongued Naaza and that dark elf Anubisu were in Sthiss, preparing something for the High Kamek.

But no, Rajura couldn't plot against the emperor of Yang Shi, or the king of Lilimundralle. No, he was stuck with the enjoyable task of just finding these five people that were going to oppose them with only vague ideas of what they should be.

The one-eyed man let out a low growl, ignoring the stare that a brown-haired Kaosan priest gave him. Why did this side of the mountains follow Kaosu? They could never win against Arago-sama.

Rajura paused to orient himself in the crowded paths of the Outlet. He was near a temple tent. He'd been around here a few days ago. Considering his options, Rajura decided to see exactly _what_ was so special about a Kaosan temple. So what if his boss Badamon had words with him. It wasn't like that sniveling wimp of a man could actually do anything, no matter how long he'd been alive. If that was really true of course. Rajura doubted that Badamon was really immortal. Besides, he hadn't seen a Kaosan temple since his childhood in Yang Shi. Something he'd rather forget.

The white haired, yet young man walked along the tents and awnings until he was finally in sight of the temple tent. Quickening towards it, he saw a figure in front of the opening with a hood drawn over his head, down almost to his eyes. How unusual. Rajura slowed his pace for a moment. Something felt different. It had to do with that strange hooded person. Something resonated deep inside him, down to his very bones. That person!

Rajura ducked into a tent-alley and observed. Observing was his specialty after all. When running from horsemen on foot as a child simply for being part of a Gen tribe, one learned very quickly how to observe hiding places and chances to run. Those skills had since been refined when Badamon recruited him to follow Arago-sama. It wasn't like Kaosu had done him any great favors.

The hooded man was looking around carefully, trying not to be observed.

_Too late for that, stupid. Don't wear a hood so low if you don't want to be seen. _Sometimes the idiocy of people surprised Rajura. Still, the hooded imbecile seemed satisfied that no one was looking and removed his hood in order to go into the tent. With the hood off, Rajura understood why the hood was so low. His hair was a dead giveaway. It was blue. He was the Hashiban prince and Tenkuu descendant. Prince Touma, named after the capital of Hashiba. Forget what Rajura was thinking before. This assignment from Badamon had been easier than he thought. He just had the object of his search dropped into his lap.

Oh life just couldn't get much better than this. Concentrating for a brief moment, Rajura cast an illusion, letting himself be viewed as an old beggar. Illusion in place, he sat down by the entrance to the temple-tent and started to quietly beg, mainly because he wanted a chance to look inside the tent. Rajura started to turn towards the entrance when he saw a priest coming down the street, dragging an armored Lugan. _Curse it_. He went back to begging.

"Shin! You can stop dragging me now!" the Lugan protested.

"Shuu, you should be ashamed of yourself," the monk retorted, as he slowed down. Turning to the Lugan, he lifted his staff and gently knocked the armored brute on the head. "You should know better than that!"

"Come on, Shin! You can do better in a fight!"

"Shuu!" The large Lugan got up and tried to grab the slender priest, who hastily tried to dodge. Unfortunately, that left the large Lugan falling forward with nowhere to go but the dirt with a very loud crash.

_Couldn't have happened to a nicer mercenary_, Rajura thought to himself.

Now furious, the priest, who was picking up the chuckling Lugan, started to yell at him. However, the ruckus had given the one-eyed man the opportunity he needed. With a nice display like that, no one would question an old beggar from looking into the Kaosan temple-tent. After all, that made three inside the temple-tent now. Fate was certainly being nice to him today. Peering inside, he saw Touma was sitting next to a light elf and looking rather shocked at the priest and Lugan going at it. That made four. A Tenkuu descendant, a follower of Kaosu, a fighter, and a light long-ear. All Rajura needed now was some sort of unknown and he'd offer up a hundred prayers to Arago-sama in thanks for such luck.

"If he were, I believe that is where I come in."

A man came from the shadows. Rajura smiled. Today was most _certainly_ a good day. Moving around like an old man, he slowly made his way to a secluded tent-alley. Sitting down, he concentrated, reaching out to his cohorts.

_What do you want? I'm busy!_

_I'm in a difficult situation!_

_Human! Don't contact me like this!_

Rajura didn't let the insults reach him. He was just too happy.

_Dolts!_ he mentally shouted. _I just found all five of them._

_WHAT!_ came three voices.

_Very good, I'm all set here it Tou Hashiba,_ Shuten answered.

_Not good, it would take us too long to get there from Sthiss,_ relied Naaza since Anubisu refused to talk to them like this.

Badamon, however, interrupted their conversation. _Rajura, get those five to Shuten_ now_! Naaza, Anubisu, try to get to Hashiba. We must not fail now. Arago-sama must be pleased. Do you all understand?_

_Yessir!_ came four sarcastic replies.

Coming out of the conversation, Rajura let the illusion slide to one of a young girl, with moderate earnings. He walked out into the paths of the Outlet, heading for the northern side where there would be more Hashibans. It only took a few minutes to find a Hashiban officer of some standing. Rajura walked right up to him, trying very hard to walk like a girl might.

"Excuse me, sir," he said, his voice coming out high in his illusion.

"Yes, ma'am, how may I help you?" the officer, no more than a captain, said with a smile.

"Sir, do you know where I can get some blue hair die?" What better way to bait the Hashiban.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I don't follow you."

"Well, sir, I was walking by the temple-tent near the middle of the outlet," he said, wanting to wince at the innocence he was pouring on. "Inside there was this guy, I think he was a Hashiban, and he had blue hair. I think I might like to try that for my boyfriend, y'know? Make him look at me in a new light."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you, ma'am," the captain said, rushing off.

Rajura let the illusion drop and smiled. Now all he needed to do was to find some good mercenaries. They'd get to Tou Hashiba all right. But just not the way they might have expected.

* * *

"Who are you?" Touma asked.

"My name is Sanada Ryo. You are Hashiba Touma, Date Seiji, Mouri Shin, and Rei Fuan Shuu."

Everybody in the temple tent stiffened.

"It would appear that you have the upper hand," the light elf Seiji said. "Please inform us as to what you want."

"Well put, Seiji," the dark haired Ryo answered. "I'm not sure if I'd say that I have the upper hand, but I do have a favor to ask all of you." Ryo stepped out in front of the altar, pausing for a moment to admire it. "You are very talented, Shin-sir. You all are talented. You all have special abilities and techniques and talents that make you unique. With the five of us together, we can put our talents together to do something."

"Please don't say that you want to take over the world," Shuu said with a yawn. "That's old for one thing and totally against my morals!"

Shin looked to the armored Lugan. "After getting into a brawl willingly you say that you have morals?"

Shuu grinned sheepishly.

"Well, you'll all be reassured that I don't want to take over the world. I'm hardly that stupid," Ryo said; a smile on his face. "What I need for us to do is to retrieve an item that was stolen."

"Item?" Touma asked.

"I'd rather not get into details just yet," said Ryo. "But I can say that it is something of high value; a world treasure if you will. Finding it will not be easy, and we will need all five of us to find it."

"Wait. Wait." Seiji stepped forward. "A Korin elf, a Kaosan priest, a Lugan mercenary, and a misplaced prince need to find a world treasure? Do you wish us to partake on a quest of some sort? A child's fairy tale?"

"Yes, yes, and if you put it that way, yes." Ryo grinned.

"EH?"

"You're a prince?"

"From where?"

"What possible talent could I have?"

"What does flower arrangement have to do with talent?"

"I'm glad someone finally saw how good I am!"

"Shuu!"

"I want nothing to do with this."

"What item could be a world treasure?"

"I don't understand any of this . . ."

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Ryo held up his hands to get everyone's attention. "One at a time, please! Slow down!" Ryo took a deep breathe. "If you really want me to explain, then I will. It will take a while, though. I would suggest that you all sit down."

Touma and Seiji reseated themselves, and Shin and Shuu took the bench next to them. Ryo stood in front of the altar, its rich blue in contrast to his deep but well-worn red. The two rows of candles on the altar glowed behind Ryo, making him look suddenly very holy.

"It is a very long story; and one well routed in history. I was hoping to wait until you had met my master."

"People still have masters nowadays?" the priest Shin asked. "Kaosu-sama has made it very clear that such things are looked down upon."

"They are," Ryo replied. "But I'm a special case. Please, let me get through this, it will easily take us the rest of the day and well into the night for me to finish everything."

"But-"

"Touma-sama?"

The five in the temple tent looked behind them to see a Hashiban captain standing in the doorway. The blue haired Touma paled; his face that of a deer caught along the site of an arrow.

"Prince, you are to come with us. We have been looking for you for near a month now."

Shin and Shuu turned to Touma. "You've been missing?"

"Were you kidnapped and just now escaped?"

"Were you engaged to some old hag, or maybe your cousin or something and you ran away with the woman that you really love?"

"Actually . . ." Touma said, a hand moving sheepishly behind his head.

"He ran away from the crown," the captain offered.

"Ano, ne!" Touma cried. "Don't make it sound like I'm irresponsible or something!"

"You did, did you not?" Seiji asked.

"You're missing the point! I'm not going back!"

"You are, Touma-sama," the captain said. "You king and uncle has ordered your immediate return." The captain made a face. "Our king is not the most normal of men, of that I can understand, but it is your duty to follow his commands. It was by his decree that you became the next in line for the throne, and you must live up to everyone's expectations. One would think that it was an honored to be selected from the many branch families of the Hashiban name. I personally think that-" The captain paused when he realized that there were only four people in the temple tent other than himself. Touma had left.

"Touma-sama!" the captain yelled as he ran out of the tent in pursuit.

"Hey, wait!" Ryo called after him. "I was about to say something really important! WAIT!" With that, the red clad Ryo took off after the captain.

Seiji, Shin, and Shuu, were left standing, dumbstruck, and uncertain what to do.

"I am the Korin emissary for Touma-sama," Seiji stated. "I must follow."

"Besides," Shuu added. "How will we know what they guy, Ryo-whatever, wanted with us?"

"Then, I suppose we'll have to go," finished Shin.

The three left the temple tent.

So it was that Shin, Shuu, and Seiji chased after Ryo, who was chasing after the captain, who was chasing Touma the Prince of Hashiba through the paths and alleys of the Outlet.

When the three had finally caught up, Ryo was talking fluidly with the captain, who had a very firm grip on the now resigned Touma.

"Ah, here are my companions now," Ryo said. "Captain, these are my associates, Korin no Date Seiji, Mouri Shin-sir, and Rei Fuan Shuu. Everyone, this is Captain Watanabe. He and his men will be escorting us as we make our journey to Tou Hashiba."

"Tou Hashiba?" Shin asked.

"Yes," Ryo said, suddenly smiling widely. "Because of your concerns, I thought it best for us to travel a little more and get to know each other."

"More?" Shin asked again.

Shuu jabbed his elbow softly into the priest ribs. Then the mercenary said, "Of course. We appreciate your consideration. I hope the Captain doesn't mind?"

"I was just about to find out," Ryo replied. "Captain Watanabe?"

"I suppose more in our party would not hurt. The roads in Hashiba have been getting a little more dangerous than usual, and an increase in company would not harm our chances. I accept your offer, Sanada-san."

"Very good," Ryo said a satisfied grin only barely concealed from his face. Touma groaned loudly, muttering about something.

"If it is alright with everyone, I will stay here with Touma-sama," Seiji said.

"Don't you need to pack?" Shin asked.

"What items would I pack?"

" . . . Oh. I forgot that elves travel light."

"Of course," Shuu said "That's why their called 'light' elves. Get it?"

Everyone stared at him.

"Hey, it was only a joke! Anyway, I'm off to say bye to my friends and grab my pack."

"I have to leave word at the temple tent that I will be going on a journey. I also need to pack a few items. Sanada-san, how long may I expect to be gone?"

"Aa . . . we'll talk about that on the ride. I will procure some horses."

Seiji sat down on the ground with the dejected Touma as the others went their separate ways.

"You got me into a fine mess," the blue haired prince accused Seiji.

"How do you imagine that?"

"I was doing perfectly fine until you stopped me at the temple tent. I would have made a clean get away."

The Captain snorted but said nothing.

"If I had not stopped you," Seiji said, "then what would have happened?"

"I would have made it to safety."

"Then, what?"

"I would be free."

"But what would you do? What trade would you enter?"

"I don't know."

"Then how would you survive?"

"I don't know. But at least I'd be free."

"You forget, Touma-sama-"

"PLEASE drop the -sama! I'm not going to be king."

"But you are a prince, Touma-sama."

"Fine; but as long as we're going to be traveling with each other, can't we at least be a little more familiar with each other? You have no idea how much -sama grates my nerves."

"As you wish, Touma."

There was a long pause as the two of them sat on the ground by the Captain.

"What were you going to say?" Touma finally asked, his tone a little more reserved.

"Only that you forget how large your uncle's information network is. Awaiting your capture never takes more than a month, and after repeated escapes from the crown, you have merely become more predictable. I knew immediately where to look, and it did not take long for Captain Watanabe to find you. The Hashiban ohash currency goes very far, and your uncle certainly has a lot of money."

That much was true. The country of Hashiba was often jokingly referred to as the world's bank. The ohash was the most valuable currency and was the basis for all monetary standards. Hashibans were money grabbers by nature, and anything they earned went straight to the Tou Hashiba vaults. It was reputed that many kings in the past would often live in those vaults; so much was the money in there.

"Your point?" Touma asked, even though he knew the answer.

"You uncle would find you whenever he wanted, if he so chose."

"Shut up."

"I hope I didn't take too long!" The monk Shin appeared, his robe exchanged to a shirt and trousers under his mantle. He carried a priest's deadly looking staff and a full pack on his back. Seiji and Touma stood to greet him.

"Tell me, what is Tou Hashiba like?" the priest asked. "I have never been there before."

"Confining," Touma offered sardonically.

"Crowded," Seiji replied. "There are many buildings, and people live on top of each other on those buildings. The roads are wide and paved, but dirty and smelly. The people are almost all Kitsune in heritage, and what they do not gamble away they will use to get you to pay more money."

"You make it sound like an ugly place," Touma said. "Tou Hashiba is probably one of the biggest cities that aren't by a port," he explained to Shin, who nodded in reply. "To economize the space, the buildings are built several stories tall. They have tile roofs and reinforced walls, so that they will not fall. The roads are wide enough for three carts, and we have workers who clean the streets every night. The people are NOT gamblers, as Seiji would have you believe; most of them are just good honest Hashibans."

"That classifies them as gamblers."

"Hmph, then I guess all elves are the same, light or dark?"

Seiji stiffened; his hand reaching for sword at his belt. He did not draw however.

"Perhaps now you see how insulting it was to call all Hashibans gamblers," Touma said lightly. "Try to keep that in mind in the future."

Shin stepped forward. "Where are the others?" he asked in hopes to change the subject.

"Right here!" Shuu called, as he and Ryo came up to meet the other three and the Captain. The mercenary waved his plain staff to Ryo, explaining, "I ran into Ryo on my way to you guys. He's got some horses, so we can get going any time."

The Captain nodded. "It is still light enough in the day that we can make our way well into Hashiba before night. Let us depart."

The group of six followed Ryo to the western edge of the Outlet. As the tents and awnings faded away, a large set of corrals appeared to take their place. Ryo led the way, navigating around the fences, horse droppings, and leather bound Yang Shians.

"There you are, boy!" A round faced man in a leather vest waved the small group over. "Got the horses you wanted. Don't see as why you need the like as specific as you asked, but they're here."

"Thanks, old man." Ryo pulled out a purse and handed the man a handful of ohash. "Keep the change. I know it was an odd request."

"Why, thank you young master! I look forward to any future business with you."

Ryo nodded. "The picks should be obvious, so mount up."

The corral by which Ryo and the old man were standing had four horses. Each was a distinctly different breed.

Seiji stepped up to the white and gold pinto. "There is neither saddle nor bridle," he remarked, looking at the red clad Ryo. "You know more than most." Seiji easily hopped onto the blanket mare and sat cross legged.

"I have dibs on the roan!" Shuu said as he looked at the large red animal. "This is an out and out war horse, a charger. I can almost never find one that's in my price range."

"That's because you are always spending your money," Touma theorized as he mounted a white stallion. From inside his cloak, he pulled out an unstrung bow and placed it with his pack on the back of the saddle. "At least it suits you."

"And the stallion suits you," Shuu replied. "It's real princely."

"Shut up."

"I'm sorry," Shin said softly. "But I've never ridden before." He stood beside a palomino mare who stared at him placidly.

"Here," Ryo said. "I'll help you up." With a helping hand, Shin was on his horse and swaying slightly.

"It's strange having four legs under me and not two."

"So long as you do not bounce, you will be fine," Seiji said. He looked to the red clad man who had gotten them the horses. "Where is yours?"

"I prefer walking. Don't worry. It's not like we're going to gallop all the way to Tou Hashiba."


	3. The Outlet 02

Shuu sat down by the campfire, looking at his traveling companions. Granted, they had a very large Hashiban escort, but these other four were evidently who he was really supposed to be traveling with. The way that Ryo always had them around the same campfire and always trying to have them open up to each other was just a little too obvious and nobody wanted to play such games.

Yet here they were, a four day hard ride from Kou Hashiba, which Watanabe had insisted on avoiding because of Touma's longing for freedom; and a good ten day ride from Tou Hashiba, the capital of Hashiba that Touma was named after. To compound matters, Ryo still hadn't explained why he needed all of them.

Shuu looked around the campfire, were they all sat silently eating. It had been three days since they left the Outlet and nobody was talking. _Oh what the blazes._

"You know, Ryo," Shuu started, rubbing a hand through his ash hair, "you haven't exactly been very subtle."

"Oh?" the tiger-eyed man replied, as an eyebrow rose.

"You want all of us to get to know each other and all, but you're going about it in the wrong way."

"Really?" Touma answered sarcastically. "What was your first clue?"

"Don't all of you know the best way to get someone to open up is to compliment them? For example," Shuu turned to Shin, who was quietly eating his meal and ignoring everyone. "Shin?"

Looking up, Shin swallowed his mouthful. "Yes, Shuu?"

"You kept your alter really nice looking. How do you do it?" Was it just Shuu, or did he see Ryo smile out of the corner of his eye?

"You should know me by now," Shin scolded lightly. "I grew up with only my mother and sister. We also had to keep a pottery shop. Of course I keep my alter very neat, I often had to help clean things when I was a child."

"You had to help clean as a child?" Ryo asked. "Why is that?"

Shin looked down to his bowl briefly, "My mother gets sick easily. In order to make things easier on her, I went to my sister and told her I wanted to help out. Since I was only about five at the time, she told me to clean the floors. That's how I started to take over the household cleaning."

"My sympathies for your mother," Seiji offered, entering into the conversation for the first time. "I know that I worry about my Grandfather. He is not as young as he used to be."

Ryo turned to Seiji, "You mean the High Elder at Daasa Laska? I thought he was still doing very well."

Shuu noted that Seiji bristled. "For someone we know so little about, you certainly seem to know a great deal about us."

Ryo laughed gently. "I do as my master says."

Touma looked suspiciously to the red-clad young man. "And why does your master want to know about us so thoroughly?"

Ryo looked up in surprise. "Is that what you think? I'm sorry, but my job was to," he paused, appearing to debate the wording of what he said next, "my job was to keep up to date on things that are important."

"And what do you mean by important?" Shin asked carefully.

"World events mainly," answered Ryo. "How the various leaders of every country is doing, what's the latest in political intrigue, things that could affect the future."

"The future?" Shuu asked. "What do you mean by future?"

Ryo looked down to his empty dinner plate. "If all of you don't mind, I'd rather not get into that. I've been answering honestly. If I were to answer that question, I'd either have to lie or risk losing some of you before we can go about what we're supposed to do."

Silence settled around the campfire with everyone looking at Ryo suspiciously. Shuu was torn when it came to Ryo. The man was desperate enough to be willing to answer all of their questions honestly, but he simply would _not_ tell them what he needed them for. Instead, Ryo wanted to wait until they met his "master", a word that just shouldn't be used so casually in this day in age. Masters were a thing of centuries ago. There were no masters today, with the possible exception being in the country of Yuuki.

Something moved in the corner of his eye. Shuu noticed that Watanabe was watching their group warily. Wonderful, the captain in charge of escorting Touma didn't trust any of them. What else could go wrong?

"Ryo," Shin drew everyone's attention to himself. "I am a priest of Kaosu, do you understand that?"

"More than you probably know," Ryo replied.

"Do you follow Kaosu?"

"_Yes_," Ryo stated firmly. His commitment to that one word raised a few eyebrows.

"Therefore, you know his teachings."

"Yes."

"Do you know that as a monk of Kaosu, I've been taught how to tell truths and lies?"

"It's not something the common public knows, but yes."

"Then you know that I can tell whether or not someone is trustworthy."

"Yes, that's one of the reasons you're in this group."

"Ignoring that, will you give me an honest answer for the questions I am about to ask?"

"I will do the best that I can. I don't lie, but I may not be able to answer them."

By now, everyone around the campfire was looking to Shin. "Ryo, do you truthfully want to tell us everything about what's going on?"

"Yes."

"Do you believe that we are ready for the 'truth' of what is going on?"

"No."

"Will you tell us when we are ready?"

"_Yes_."

"Do you know when we will be ready?"

"Definitely after you meet my master, possibly before. I will know when you are all ready."

Shin studied Ryo carefully. There was a long pause during which Shuu, Touma and Seiji leaned forward, awaiting Shin's pronouncement.

"I trust you."

There was a sigh of relief as everyone sat back again.

"Now that's resolved," Shuu stated. "I think it's time we all go to bed."

* * *

Seiji let the gentle rocking of the pinto lull him into thought as they continued into Hashiba. Ever since the monk's announcement that this Ryo was indeed trustworthy, he had found himself debating on whether or not he could trust these people. While he understood he had a commitment to Touma as his emissary, Seiji doubted whether or not he could trust any of them. Touma ran from his problems, Shuu was a mercenary, Shin was a little better off as a Kaosan priest, but he was still human. Ryo, however, was the worst of the lot. He couldn't or wouldn't even tell them why he needed them.

"So, Shuu," Shin broke the heavy silence. "Has your family finally settled down?"

"Yup," the mercenary replied, patting his charger gently on the neck. "We have a nice place in southern Luga. Real quiet and homey. I'll have to take you there some time. A person can really get their head on straight there."

"Settled down?" Ryo asked from below where he walked, though Seiji was certain the black-haired young man already knew the answer.

"Yeah, when I was a kid, my family moved around quite a bit," Shuu answered. He reached back into his pack and pulled out some travel mix to chew on. "My grandfather wanted to find a place where we could all be at peace and call it home. That's how I met Shin. We lived next door to him for a while."

"Indeed. You always loved a fight. Even back then."

"Hey, could I help it if I tried to stop the bullies from pickin' on the little kids?"

This mercenary fought bullies? How interesting. Normally it was the bully who became the mercenary. Seiji tilted his head in thought. What strange company he was keeping.

"Shuu," Ryo asked, his head raised to Shuu. "How much do you know of Elvin culture?"

Seiji's ears wiggled. Ryo was asking something that Seiji should be asking. And why would Ryo want to know?

"Probably about as much as your average human," Shuu replied. "They have a heavy honor system and complex subtleties that most folk don't get. I've met a few elves. They normally think I'm too brutish to explain anything to."

"Wise elves," Seiji commented.

"Not necessarily," replied Ryo. "When my master sent me to study under elves, I was told I was too brutish." Seiji glared at the tiger-eyed human.

"You studied under elves?"

"Yes," he nodded then turned to the mercenary. "It was a long time ago though. The trick with the Elvin honor system is to keep two things in mind at all times," he explained to Shuu. "First and foremost is how others view you. How you appear to your peers and your elders in particular is very important. Secondly, you have to keep in mind how others appear to you. This is because you have to judge others by how they act."

"How's that different from humans?" Touma asked, entering the conversation.

"That's a little harder for me to expand on," Ryo answered. "I think Seiji can explain better than a human can."

"A human who doesn't even ride," Seiji retorted.

"Oh, I can ride very well, thank you. But I prefer walking."

Sighing, Seiji turned to Shuu, who rode up beside him. "Humans usually have very strong ideas of independence. For example, a human might decide that he prefers to gamble," Seiji looked back to Touma, "or brawl," and then looked to Shuu. "In either case, fellow humans look upon such behavior as unethical and immoral. But to the person doing so, what others think of such unacceptable acts is immaterial."

"So that's why you have to be aware of how others view you," Shin temporized, "but not why you need to know how others act."

"That's a little more difficult to explain," Seiji answered, turning so he sat side-saddle in order to talk to the others better. He replaced his sword to be more comfortable for the horse and continued, "You see, by watching how others act, you can tell whether or not they are acceptable to associate with. Someone who acts arrogant, for example, is not someone you want to be known to follow. However, you can improve how you appear to others by appearing with people known to be of good status."

"Now by good status," Ryo interjected from below, "Seiji means someone who is known to be wise, giving, and honorable. That does not always go hand in hand with someone of power, unlike for most humans."

Seiji raised an eyebrow, looking down to their red-clad companion. "You have a better grasp of our culture than I originally thought," he stated.

"It wasn't easy," Ryo said, looking to the ground. "Elves have a bad habit of being so subtle in honor that someone unaccustomed to their culture would easily make a mistake and be considered dishonorable." The tiger-eyed man looked up smiling. "That's why it took me so long to study under Elves. I first had to get used to their subtleties, then try to figure out what the subtleties meant."

Their conversation gently went silent, having everyone set down into their thoughts.

* * *

Shin desperately wanted to take a break from riding. His thighs were cramping and his rump was sore. Shuu was used to riding because of his mercenary training, Touma, as a prince, had been taught how to ride since childhood, and Seiji made it look like he was one with the horse. So the misplaced Kaosan priest-sir was left wishing he had ridden around more often. That was probably the curse of growing up in a city. He never had to ride anywhere, he could simply walk.

"Shin," Ryo grabbed his attention. "You can't keep going like this. Have you ever been taught how to ride properly?"

Shin turned his sea-colored eyes to the mysterious young man. "I was, when I was an apprentice priest. However, I usually don't need to ride around much."

Seiji turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "You don't know how to ride? It's very simple. Sit on the horse and let him take you at his own pace."

Shuu laughed. "For an elf, it might be that simple, but for humans it usually takes practice."

Shaking his brown head, Shin disagreed. "Riding isn't the problem so much as my legs. They are _sore_."

"Is that all?" Ryo asked. With a sudden and fluid motion that surprised their party, Ryo mounted Shin's gentle palomino and sat behind him. "I probably should have gotten you a different saddle," he murmured. "Okay, for starters, you need to sit straighter. Next, let your legs relax. I know it's difficult since you're not used to riding, but you have to keep your legs relaxed." Sitting behind Shin, Ryo adjusted Shin's stance. "You basically have the right idea. Also," Ryo reached around in front of Shin. "You see this loop in your saddle? You can button your staff in there, keeping the base by your foot in the stirrup. That way you don't have to hold onto it so much. The button can also release easily in case of battle."

Shin felt awkward with Ryo riding behind him, but he focused more on making his legs relax after he replaced his spear staff. The palomino kept riding gently with the large troupe around them. With his back straighter, he realized that his lower back didn't feel as stressed, something he hadn't noticed before. His legs, though still cramped, weren't getting worse.

"Amazing," he muttered. That said, Ryo nodded behind him and gracefully dismounted, returning to walking.

"Hey," commented Shuu. "If you can ride so well, why don't you?"

"I prefer walking," Ryo answered, as he always did. "Besides, I don't think we'll have to worry about anyone attacking us for now."

"Ka," snorted Shuu. "Look at all these trees around us. All the bushes. Any band of brigands could hide in the bushes and attack a small party, say a quarter size of what we have around us now."

Watanabe glared at Shuu. "They wouldn't dare attack us, not with all these soldiers."

Shuu motioned to the hills, barely seen over the trees in the distance. "Those hills would be the best place for us to be attacked. All you'd need was a good size party, maybe about a hundred or so, and set traps. Maybe holes in the ground, trees ready to fall and then roll down the hill. A few well-placed archers as well. Since we'd be lower than them, we wouldn't be able to fight back easily. They'd have the high ground, so they would just have to dig in. We wouldn't get many of them before we all went down."

"Thank you, Shuu," Ryo stated. "That's one of the reasons I sought you out."

* * *

Touma brooded silently. His uncle the king just _had_ to choose _him_ to be his heir. There was absolutely _no_ way he was going to be king. He just couldn't do it. Not after everything he'd already seen his uncle do in the name of being the king of Hashiba. Doing all sort of illegal things just to get money in the treasury. It was just not right.

To make matters worse, his uncle was just weird. And here Touma was, returning to his uncle with four very nice looking young men. His uncle was going to be all over them. Then Touma would be interrogated on his preferences, like his uncle often did.

"Captain Watanabe," Touma was brought out of his thoughts by Ryo's voice. "Something isn't right." Slowly, Ryo unsheathed his two swords, looking around.

"Please," Watanabe scoffed. "Nobody would dare attack a Hashiban escort."

Touma looked around. The woods seemed just fine. Nothing seemed amiss.

Shuu, however, agreed with Ryo. "Captain, isn't your country filled with birds?"

"Everywhere is filled with birds, my good man," Watanabe countered. "What's your point?"

Touma stiffened. "There aren't any birds," he whispered. "No birds, no squirrels, no noise." That was just disturbing for Touma. "Watanabe, do you have a hawk?"

"Really, Touma-sama. Hawking now?"

"Just give me a hawk."

A hawk was brought up from somewhere in the column. Touma let the hawk grab onto his arm. "Alright, girl," he addressed the hawk. "You agree that something isn't right around here?"

The hawk shifted her weight.

"Good. Now give a screech if everything is clear. Give two screeches if you see people down the road." With his free hand, he pulled the mask off the hawk's head and tossed her into the sky, watching as she gracefully spread her wings and headed up the hill they were approaching.

"What was that all about?" Watanabe asked. "You're holding up everyone."

"As a Hashiban officer, you should know," Touma hissed, indicating for the others to keep quiet.

"Touma has a famous event in his ancestry," Ryo explained quietly to the others. "He is part Tenkuu. You can tell because of his hair. So birds understand him."

"Hush," Touma hissed again.

Everyone stood silent, holding their breath. There came a hawk's long screech. Then another.

"All right!" Watanabe shouted to the troops. "We have people up on the hill. Form up and be prepared for anything."

"Stop!" Shuu bellowed. "Watanabe, you idiot! That's what they want you to do!"

The captain glared at the Lugan mercenary. "Hold your tongue. You are the guests in this party."

"And because I am a guest, I have to say what's going to happen if you just charge in."

"Don't tell a solider what to do when you hire yourself out to the highest bidder."

"Enough!" Touma shouted. "Captain Watanabe, I hold rank above you. I don't know a great deal of soldiering, but I would like to hear _all_ opinions. As a mercenary, Shuu might have a better understanding of underhanded soldiering than we Hashibans do."

Watanabe glowered, but remained silent.

"If we go charging up there, or even stay in the column we're in, we'll be picked off one by one and lured into traps," Shuu stated.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Ryo asked.

"Give me some of your archers," Shuu said. "We can go up around the side of the hill. Try and get them on the side." Shuu looked up the hill. "We can give you a signal when we're ready. When your column comes up, we attack them, and then you come up and surprise them. Be careful though, you'll be coming uphill."

Touma thought about it. "Alright. Watanabe, half your archers will come with Shuu and I."

" . . . 'and I'?" Watanabe shouted.

"Listen for the screech of the hawk. When I release her, she'll be your signal."

"You're not going without me," Seiji rode up.

"I will not leave my prince with an elf."

"Yes you will, because I'll be able to get everyone up that hill without a sound."

The captain let out a low grumble of unrepeatable words.

"Archers!" Touma called out. "Half of you with me. We'll flank those fools that dare try to fight us!"

"Hail Prince Touma!" cried out several voices as archers came up behind Touma, Shuu and Seiji.

"Let's go."

They quietly left the road and entered the woods.

"Touma," Seiji whispered, "I going to ask the horses to step quietly. After that, try to take paths that animals would take. It will make the horses' job easier. The soldiers should already know how to step silently."

Touma looked blankly at Seiji.

"Don't worry," Shuu interjected. "I know how to find paths in woods like this. It's a lot easier to do it here than in Sthiss."

"Then do it," Touma agreed. Why did this have to happen now? He was already well liked with the people of Hashiba because people sympathized with his running from his uncle. _Nobody_ wanted to be with his uncle for very long. So very often people rallied around him. He shook his head. He was reinforcing the idea to the people that he would become king because he can actually do things very well. He let out a silent sigh and wished his white stallion could blend into the forest a little better.

The small group of archers quietly made their way up the hill. Touma looked around, seeing clear signs that people had been here. Small burnt out campfires had scorched the ground, and leaves had been cleared away for bedrolls.

The hawk gently glided through the trees and Touma brought up his arm for her. "Thank you, girl." He gently stroked the hawk's breast. "When I next release you, please go to the rest of the column and screech for them." The hawk twitched her head, and then bent it in reply.

Seiji, dismounted and leading his pinto, walked quickly but silently up to Touma, sword ready. "That mercenary was correct; there is a large band of bandits about five minutes ahead." His voice was quiet, and barely carried up to the mounted Touma.

"What'd he say?" Shuu asked from Touma's other side, his voice hoarse.

"We stop here," Touma said, reining in his horse. He turned to his hawk. "Fly girl, fly high and elegantly." The hawk took off, her wings silent on the air and Touma pulled out his bow and strung it. Shuu removed his staff and swung it gently in his saddle.

Within minutes, there was the heavy clanking and other noisy movements of the column below in the valley. Seiji took off again, leaving his horse with Touma, who waited anxiously as his archers set up and cocked their arrows. Seiji returned in exactly one minute and gave a stout nod. Returning the nod, Touma raised his hand. The archers moved forward ever so slightly, and they followed Seiji with silent boots.

It was not long before they came upon the brigands. Touma found them to be a scurvy bunch, dressed in torn clothes and mismatched armor. Their swords were drawn and their bows knocked. One burly fellow lowered his sword, and they all began to charge down the hill; which was precisely when Touma's archers let loose their arrows.

Shuu spurred his mount, the charger stomping forward with his ears flattened against his head. Seiji mounted his saddle-less pinto, sword drawn. They only just entered the arrow raining area when the column charged up the hill. It was not long before they too, entered the battle.

It was over in minutes.

The would-be brigands were scattered and bloodied, most moaning and very few actually dead. Captain Watanabe reported no injuries from the main column, and for that Touma was very thankful. The last thing he wanted was any serious problems based on his decision making. It was fears like that that caused his very real fear of becoming king.

* * *

Shuu lead their party of archers back to the main column. The sun was setting in the horizon and camp was already being set up. With Seiji and Touma behind him, Shuu easily found Shin and Ryo, who were actually easy to spot. Ryo was kneeling by the Kaosan priest, bandaging his arm.

"Shin!" Shuu called out, running over. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Shin replied, glancing to Ryo. "Really, I don't even need a bandage. It's only a scratch."

"A scratch that came too close for my liking," the tiger-eyed man replied. "I'm sorry. I should have done a better job."

"You mean you _let_ this happen!" Shuu grabbed Ryo's shirt and lifted him up. "What where you doing while Shin got hurt, huh?"

"Ryo was not to blame," the sea-eyed priest calmly stated. "He was fighting by my side and doing a very good job of watching my back."

"I am sorry," Ryo repeated.

"As a monk, I thought you knew how to fight," Seiji murmured, checking Shin's arm and finishing the bandage. "You're right. That's only a scratch."

Shuu continued to glare at Ryo, but sat down. "So what happened with you guys while we were topside?"

"Things went very well," Shin answered. "As you can see, most of the bandits were taken care of. However, I unfortunately discovered that I am rusty on my fighting skills."

Touma raised an eyebrow, asking, "Don't priests get training in how to fight?"

Seiji finished the small bandage and Shin brought his sleeve down. "Yes," he answered. "But as a priest, we generally don't have to fight. Only the priests in Sthiss ever seem to really need the training." Shin flexed his arm before continuing. "You see? No problem. Not even worth the effort of bandaging. Anyway, I normally kept up on my training, even after my apprenticeship. But when I arrived at the Outlet, I became much busier than I thought I would be. I've been slacking in my practice."

"That's going to have to change," Shuu said flatly. He sat down and mock punched his childhood friend in the arm. "I'm going to spar with you every night until you're back up to pace!"

Shin hung his head in defeat. "I don't like fighting . . ."

"Actually," Seiji interjected, "that is not a bad idea. If we are to travel together, we might end up fighting together as well. Therefore, training together shall aide us." Seiji offered a large grin to Shuu. "That is, of course, if humans can stand against an elf."

Ryo smiled. "I apologize again, Shin. But I agree with Seiji. Training will help all of us get to know each other a little better."

* * *

With Shin doing fine, Touma left the group talking about sparring and went to the cook who was setting up for the evening. It had been a long day and he was getting hungry. The cook had only stew to offer, and informed Touma that it would be a few minutes before it was edible, so he went to a tree-trunk to await a good meal and pulled out his water-bottle.

The unwilling prince let out a long sigh and ran a hand threw his blue hair. A pair of archers passed by and Touma listened to their conversation. A perk of being of Tenkuu heritage. He had the eyes and ears of a hawk.

"Touma-sama really dealt those thieves a blow today . . ."

" . . . won't see any brigands in this area for a while."

"A good prince. King had a good eye for politics."

". . . has a good eye for pretty ones is what he has . . ."

"Can understand why Touma-sama doesn't want to stay in Hashiba all that much. His uncle is just too much . . ."

The pair walked away and Touma cursed the fates about his uncle once again. Everyone knew that he ran from Hashiba, but it was always assumed that the cause was his bizarre, if brilliant uncle the king. Nobody understood that he simply did _not_ want the crown. So his people continued to rally around them.

Watanabe walked by, casting an eye to Touma before continuing his conversation with a sub-officer.

" . . . Touma-sama is keeping strange company this time . . ." Watanabe started.

". . . the long-ear is his emissary from what I hear . . ."

"That's fine; just don't see why he needs the others . . ."

". . . maybe the merc's a bodyguard . . ."

Shuu? His bodyguard? Touma quietly snorted.

"Priest is probably being reassigned to somewhere in Hashiba . . ." Watanabe glanced at Touma again.

"That's dandy, but who's the deadly looking one in red?"

Ryo? Deadly looking?

"Don't know . . . but it looks like they all suit the king's tastes. Say, do you think Touma-sama is like his uncle?"

Touma choked on the swallow from his water-bottle and went into a coughing fit. He was most definitely _not_ like his uncle!

"Preposterous . . . Touma-sama wouldn't be running from the king if he was like that . . ."

"True . . ."

Touma got up and checked on the cook quickly. He didn't want to listen anymore to the conversations of the men. Not when the subject of his uncle was never far away.

* * *

The following morning, Shin pulled off the bandage that Ryo had insisted on putting on the previous night. It was a small scratch. Barely anything to be concerned over. Heading towards his gentle palomino, he gently swung his spear in his hand, letting it set into the smooth motions that were second nature to him after his apprenticeship.

His mini practice didn't last long, however, when Ryo walked up to him.

"Shin, may I please have your spear?"

The Kaosan priest raised an eyebrow. "Yes, but why?"

"If we're going to spar, it would be better if I made some duplicates that aren't so sharp."

Seiji walked up behind Shin, asking, "Do you need mine as well?"

"Yes," the tiger-eyed man answered. "I'll only need it for a day. I will also need Touma's knives."

"Knives?" Shin looked to Ryo confused. "Touma is an archer."

"Arrows only work at a distance. Touma has several hidden knives in case of emergency."

"Then why not use his bow as a weapon?"

Seiji explained, "Any well-seasoned archer knows better than to use a bow as a weapon. If the bow is damaged at all it has to be replaced. The only time a bow can be a weapon is if it's metal, but no human or elf alive has the strength to use such a bow."

"Alright," Shin said, holding up his hands in mock defense. "I haven't had to fight much." He turned to Ryo and handed him his spear. "But only one day. If yesterday was any indication, we just might need those weapons again."

"Not likely," Seiji countered, "We're only a few days ride from Tou Hashiba. Bandits stay away from large cities, and we're approaching one."

"True."

"Your sword, Seiji?" Ryo asked. Seiji said nothing but handed it to him.

Shin turned to Seiji and smiled. "I guess we'll be sparring pretty soon."

* * *

Seiji looked up to the setting sun, feeling awkward on his pinto without a sword. Though he had agreed with the idea of having practice weapons, he hadn't realized how long a day could be without any weapon. He'd always had some sort of knife or staff as a child, and when he came of age, he was given a sword. However, going without a sword for so long as one day was proving more difficult than he thought.

Just where was Ryo?

"Company! Halt!" Watanabe's voice rang out. It was time to set up camp. Seiji gracefully slid off his horse and let it wander out to graze. Come to think of it, even though he had been on edge all day, wasn't the entire column more at ease? Was that because Ryo wasn't there?

He sat down by Touma, who was trying without much success to start a camp fire.

"Blast it, Ryo always makes this look so easy!"

"Speaking of which," Shuu stated, carrying his bedroll over to the two of them, "have you guys noticed? The column seems glad that he wasn't here today."

"I thought I was the only one who sensed that," Shin agreed, rolling out his bedroll. "It seems odd. I think that he's trustworthy, even if he doesn't act that way sometimes."

"I hate to admit it," Seiji stated, "but I agree with Shin-sir. He could sense when we were about to be attacked by brigands and tried to defend Shin. He has proven himself worthy of my trust, even if he does not confide in us."

"You should hear what the men are saying," Touma interjected. "They don't quite seem to get it. They know that you're my emissary Seiji, but they think I've hired Shuu to be my bodyguard," Shuu promptly fell into a pit of guffaws, "that Shin was assigned to a different temple in Hashiba, and, get this, that Ryo is someone who is deadly looking." Shuu's laughter increased.

Shin gaped at Touma. "Ryo is hardly deadly looking. He appears very cheerful and energetic. Hardly dangerous."

Shuu sat up, wiping tears from his eyes. "If Ryo looks dangerous, then call me Shuu-Leader, the ruler of Luga!"

"Seriously," Seiji said, ignoring the mercenary's chuckles, "Why is it we do not see him as a threat when others clearly do?"

"You know," the Hashiban prince murmured, "I sometimes get the feeling I've met him before."

Seiji tilted his head. "I feel the same way on occasion."

"So do I," Shuu and Shin said together.

"But from where?"

"Oh that's easy for me," the Lugan mercenary said. "Way back, when I was about eight, my family and I were out for some reason and I saw someone who looked like Ryo, you know, two swords, red clothing? Don't remember much else about him. Anyway, I saw him in a brawl with a bunch of big beefy types. I remember noticing that they guy in red was much smaller and way outnumbered. But he won the fight." Shuu smiled at the memory. "When the fight was over, the scrawny guy said something about having justice on his side. I got hooked on the idea. But then, I think I always was."

"I had something similar happen to me," Touma added. "Only I was around nine. It was one of the first times I saw how my uncle was. Still, I was a good kid and did what I was told. One day, I ran across a guy with black hair and blue eyes, like Ryo's. I assumed he was one of the servants. He asked me why I always did what I was told when I often knew better. Talked a lot to me. I think he wanted me to try and apply my smarts and do what was right. It's funny," he said, fingering the feathers in his hair. "I never saw him after that."

The Korin elf offered, "I too, remember someone like Ryo from when I was a child. I was around ten when a human came across the village I was studying under. Under the treaty we have with Hashiba, elves are supposed to lead humans out of our forest. I was assigned that task. Normally humans are scared of elves, and try to attack us. However that human, who had two swords on his back, was very nice. He even knew a few words of Elvin. I remember him mainly because of something odd he said. 'Not everything is light and dark. Sometimes there are different shades of grey.' Very unusual for a human to say something like that."

There was a silence, broken only by the men around the camp.

Everyone turned to Shin. "Do you have such a story?" Touma asked.

Shin shook his head. "I don't remember it. I was only three at the time, but my mother and sister told me that when we were out shopping, I saw a man dressed like a priest, only he was in red. They tell me that from that moment on I told everyone I was going to be a monk when I grew up."

"It looks like you did."

Everyone swirled around to see Ryo walking to them, a large pack over his shoulder.

"Sorry I'm late."

"It couldn't be . . ." Shin started, "But . . . was . . . that . . . the person we all remember that was similar to you . . . was he . . . you?"

Ryo faltered a moment. ". . . That will be answered when I answer all of your other questions."

Everyone face-faulted. He was avoiding their questions again!

"Well," the strange man in red continued, "I have your sparring weapons and some more supplies." He set the pack down. "What I have are different clothes. You never know when we may need a disguise." Shin gaped at their companion. "As well as some good travel mix, a set of good arrows; I think they were called, Naio in make." Touma's jaw dropped. "I found some Yarin jewels. "Seiji stiffened, hand going for a sword that wasn't there. "And finally, I found some good wood from Northern Luga. I was able to get an extra staff." Shuu gawked.

"WHAT?" was four voices of surprise.

Ryo merely looked innocently at them. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Why do we need disguises? How deceitful are we going to be?"

"Do you realize that Naio arrows are the best quality arrows in existence! They cost a small fortune for one bundle!"

"Yarin jewels are only known to elves, both light and dark! They aide in meditation and are extremely rare!"

"Northern Luga? They have some of the hardest woods ever found and you were able to get a staff made of it?"

"One at a time!" Ryo shrank under all four towering figures. "One, Shin. Yes, we might need disguises at some point. Think of it as a precaution. Two, Touma. Yes, I knew that Naio are good arrows, my master supplied me with any money we might need for this mission. Three, Seiji. When I studied under elves, I learned about Yarin jewels. I was just lucky to find some. Four, Shuu. Yes, it was from upper Luga. I know a good crafter in the area, so I got him to make you a staff as well as the practice weapons."

"In one day," Touma said suspiciously.

"Yes," Ryo answered. "He was able to make the staff in one day. However, he only made the rough forms for the practice weapons. I had to do the rest."

Seiji, who was rummaging through Ryo's pack, taking his sword back, and putting the jewels in his hidden belt pocket, saw a wooden wand shaped like his sword. He picked it up.

The Korin elf promptly pulled out his real sword and put it up to Ryo's throat. "And how did you manufacture these practice weapons?" he quietly demanded. "That wood sword has the exact same balance and weight as my real one!"

Shin immediately grabbed the staff shaped like his and swung it around. "He's right! How did you do this? Are you some sort of crafter?"

"No," the tiger-eyed man replied, gently pushing Seiji's sword away. "I'm just good with fire. I was able to burn the wood to the shapes I needed. The balancing came more from the fabric I had to wrap around the hilts of the knives and Seiji's sword. The same for the blade of your spear."

Everyone glared at Ryo.

"Please," he said quietly. "Just let it be."


	4. The Outlet 03

The dinner between the five was quiet at best. Ryo sat slightly apart from the other four, with a painfully guilty expression on his face. Touma and Seiji glared at the red clad man, Shuu stared at Ryo with curiosity, and Shin just looked sympathetically.

Watanabe joined the group, sitting down by prince Touma, his bowl recently filled with the cook's stew. "We will be arriving at Tou Hashiba in two days," he said.

There were various levels of response, so the Captain continued. "Once we reached our great capital, I must escort Touma-sama to his uncle the king. The long-ear may join us if he wishes."

"The 'long-ear' thanks you greatly for your deep and thoughtful consideration," Seiji replied indignantly.

"If," Captain Watanabe continued, "there is anywhere that you would like to be escorted upon your arrival to Tou Hashiba, I would be happy to assign a few soldiers to each of you. It has been a pleasant journey, traveling with you together. I regret that we must all part ways so soon."

The captain sat up and moved off to join with his sub officers.

"Contemptible overbearing human," Seiji muttered under his breathe.

"He thinks we're going to go our separate ways," Shin said. "He was almost telling us that that is what we are going to do."

"You know he's going to 'provide' that escort whether we want it or not," Shuu said. "He wants the four of us gone as soon as humanly possible."

"I'll be cursed before I let that happen," Ryo said from his place slightly away from the fire. The other four looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Shuu asked slowly.

"I've been as nice to that captain as I can stand," Ryo said in a quiet voice, his blue eyes bright with anger. "I made it perfectly clear to him over and over that the five of us are a group, and he has the audacity to try and force us apart after all the work I went through to get things in motion. He's going to get a very polite talking to before we get to Tou Hashiba."

There was a long silence that passed between the five before Shuu broke out laughing. "It can actually happen!" he said between his belly laughs. "The mighty red monk Ryo can get pissed! Ah, and here I was starting to think you weren't human! No offense, Seiji," he added quickly when he saw the elf glaring at him. "Come on, let's get to that practicing."

Shuu stood and moved to his charger to get his staff, Shin not far behind. After a moment, Ryo followed suit, and then Seiji and Touma.

"So, who's first?" the blue haired prince asked.

"Shin," Ryo and Shuu said simultaneously. Shin merely resigned himself to his fate.

"Seiji, you're his partner," Ryo ordered. "It was a swordsman who got past Shin's defenses, so you're the best pick. Afterward, I'll go after him with the-with my twin swords."

Seiji noticed the correction but said nothing. After earlier in the day, the light elf decided to let the fates handle his interaction to the mysterious Ryo. Drawing wooden sword, he nodded to Shin. The priest took a defensive stance, only slightly off balance despite his claimed lack of practice. Seiji took an offensive stance and gauged his opponent. Shin was a thin, almost frail person, but Seiji knew that he must have some skill to avoid a more serious injury in the battle yesterday. It obviously was not strength; the priest appeared to be barely keeping his staff in hand. Speed may have been an asset. But Seiji suspected that the skill Shin had in battle lay in his defensive fighting. The priest made it well known his distaste for battle, emphasized by the defensive stance he was now holding.

Nodding, Seiji sped forward, thrusting his wooden sword. It was deflected easily, as Seiji had expected. He countered and struck again and again, but each blow was knocked away. Seiji experimented, giving an attack that, if deflected, would leave him open. When executed, there was no injury to the elf's person, and Seiji's theory was confirmed. The priest did not attack, just defend. The elf dropped down, surprising Shin and threw his legs underneath the priest, sending Shin toppling to the ground.

"You had an opportunity to attack me," he said after taking a deep breath and standing. "But you did not."

"I did not want to hurt you," Shin stammered, shocked to find himself on the ground.

"What would you have done were I an enemy?"

Shin grinned. "If you were an enemy, then you would have been on the ground and not me."

Seiji arched a blond eyebrow. "Again." The pair took their stances again, and again Seiji pressed the attack. This time, however, he did not hold back. There was no more need for experimentation, and now he moved against Shin as if he were a real enemy.

Shin continued to block, however this time it was obviously much more difficult for him. Where Shin's skill was in his defensive nature, Seiji's skill was in his speed. The elf moved the sword with expert skill and the only trace of its movements were the blurs of wood that sped through the night air. Only the size of Shin's staff and his ability to block saved him from any serious strikes. He found himself backing up as Seiji pressed his attack. Getting more than a little desperate, Shin blinked as he saw an opening. Not even thinking, he lashed out and struck.

The force of the blow sent the blond Seiji almost flying across to the fire, rolling twice before he stopped. There was a stunned silence as Shin gaped at what he had done.

Seiji coughed, lifting himself to his knees and holding the ribs that Shin had struck.

The priest ran to the light elf, dropping his staff. "Seiji! Are you alright? I didn't mean to hit you so hard! I told you I don't like fighting, but you kept pushing me! I-"

Seiji lifted a hand and waved for the auburn haired priest to be quiet.

"No," he said. He coughed again and cocked his head from one side to the next, emitting several cracks as he did so. The elf stood and took a deep breath. "You have proved that you can attack when pressed hard enough. That is good to know. I pity any enemy that stands before you staff, Mouri Shin-sir."

"Eh?"

"You have a fighting style," Seiji temporized, his gaze only looking slightly annoyed. "You remain defensive until your opponent tires, and then you attack for all you're worth. It is a good stratagem. One I will not take to lightly next time." Seiji offered a slight smile.

Shin smiled too. "I won't go so easy on you, next time," he joked. Shin knew better, though. He knew that next time it would be even harder. He found himself looking forward to it.

"Alright," Ryo said. "I guess I'm next." He drew his twin swords.

"Just a second, Ryo," Shuu interjected. "I want a go." The Lugan mercenary twirled his hardwood staff lightly and rolled his shoulders. Shuu cracked his knuckles and took a serious stance. "I want to see what happens when offense fights defense."

"Eh?"

"Don't worry, Shin. I promise not to hurt you. Too much," Shuu said, giving a wolfish grin.

Shin took his defensive stance again, and like Seiji before him, Shuu began the sparring match. Shuu's skills came from obviously came from his strength and his weight, both of which he knew how to use. Shin would block one blow only to have to sidestep another, leaving himself open for Shuu to tap him with his staff. Shuu, unlike most, wasn't afraid to cast aside his weapon and fight with his hands, and did so often. The mercenary had enough strength to lock staffs with Shin with one hand, leaving the other free to land a light punch.

After a few minutes, they broke apart. Shin would have several light bruises in the morning, while Shuu was unharmed.

"Interesting," Touma noted. "Shin's defensive skills are based upon an opponent who has speed and finesse, but not for brute strength and slugging."

"Hey!" Shuu said. "What do you mean by 'brute' and 'slugging'?"

"It would be interesting what a matchup between you and Seiji are. Speed versus strength."

"Strength would win!" Shuu said confidently.

"Are you so sure?" Seiji said; a competitive look on his face.

"Just try me!"

"As you wish."

"Meanwhile," Touma said. "I want to try my hand at the battle weary monk."

"Hey!" Shin said. "It's not like I'm a pacifist! I just think things can be solved without immediately resorting to fighting!"

Touma grinned. "If you're not a pacifist, than you are as close as they come." The blue haired prince held out his wood knives and began to circle Shin before the sea eyed man could say otherwise. Ryo just sat down to watch the two matches. Before Touma could finish a full circle, Shuu was on the ground with Seiji's sword at his throat.

"You cannot win against what you cannot strike."

"You're faster than a demon, Seiji! That ain't human!"

"I am glad that you noticed."

"Oh, er, no offense."

Ryo grinned as Seiji helped up his partner and then turned his attention to Touma and Shin.

Their battle was even faster than Shuu and Seiji. Touma had had the benefit of watching two matches with Shin. He knew that Shin was defensive in nature, and when offensive, had more power than anyone expected. But he was susceptible to pure power. That Touma didn't have. Of the five, he was probably in the least physical shape. Lacking power and speed was not a problem, though. Touma was a thinker. His teachers often marveled at how quickly the boy could absorb and analyze information. Touma realized that Shin's defense was very tight, but he focused almost entirely on the opponent's weapon. That was why Shuu could land the taps. Touma used that to his advantage.

Knives were often considered a coward's weapon. They were easy to conceal and used by those without skill for other weapons. However, knives worked for Touma because of their size. The prince was never very good with large weapons. Bows and arrows were light in comparison to staffs and broad swords. Knives were also light, and gave Touma the ability to get in close while sustaining little damage. Shin was hampered by having to swing around his huge staff with the blades on the end. Swinging it took time, a slight opening that Touma used to his advantage.

In under a minute Shin was on the ground.

Tossing the knives up playfully, Touma grinned. "I expected more of a challenge."

"Am I really so out of practice?" Shin asked, pulling himself back up.

"Hardly," Ryo said. "I bet Touma would have lost had he gone first. But he was able to see around your defenses. Touma is probably the most dangerous fighter of the four of you. Shuu is the strongest and Seiji the fastest. You Shin are the back up. If anything happens, you will cover the others. It's actually a good set up."

"And what about you?" Seiji asked, massaging his ribs. "What is your position of this little battle team?"

Ryo just grinned. "I'm the one that gives orders, of course."

* * *

Rajura quietly listened in; grateful his illusions let him wander around camp so easily. So that was the little team that was supposed to take down Arago-sama. How interesting. They had the basics of a small army, offense, defense, speed, strength, brains. They could probably start their very own war if they wanted to. But they had one weakness that they didn't even realize.

They didn't know that the enemy now knew their strengths and weaknesses.

Rajura was just about ready to dance around the camp, he was so happy. He could take down the clots in a few minutes with his illusions and nobody would say anything. Oh the possibilities.

In fact, what better way to set off an already edgy Hashiban column? Since he had made sure that the good captain was edgy around the unknown with some well-placed illusions, all he needed was something to scare the chicken into the soup. Now how would that best work? Having an illusion of the unknown trying to kill the respected prince Touma-sama just might work. Or maybe the illusion of the priest Shin-sir doing the deed. Now wouldn't that cast such a good light on the Kaosan priesthood? Perhaps the long-ear Korin, Seiji, should do it. No, it simply had to be the Lugan mercenary. Shuu. The bitter irony would be perfect. A Lugan mercenary stole his eye years ago and now a Lugan mercenary would become sacrifice for Arago-sama.

_You DOLT!_

_Badamon?_

_That's Badamon-sama to you, idiot!_

_Get out! I didn't call for you, nor do I need your advice._ Rajura paused. _Oh mighty disciple of Arago-sama, the great Badamon-sama._

He could almost hear Badamon fuming.

_You fool!_

_Now what did I do? Great Badamon-sama?_

_We_ can't _kill them!_

_What?_ was the answer of four angry voices. Evidently the mighty Disciple Badamon had deemed it necessary to contact Rajura's "teammates". He didn't need this. It was spoiling his good mood. Now he'd end up having to share his information with the others, rather than show them up on it.

_Why can't we kill them?_ Naaza demanded.

_They have a LIGHT elf! I must kill him!_ Anubisu shouted.

_The Hashiban royal family is going to_ pay Shuten agreed.

_And I'd love to see that cursed red-clad baby be chopped into little pieces,_ replied Badamon, _but I can't override this! The order comes from Arago-sama himself. We need_ all _of them to stay alive._

Rajura could hear a sigh, probably from Badamon, but it could have come from anyone. _Don't ask me why,_ the blue disciple continued. _I'm not even told that._

_Human! Don't give me that ignorance! If you truly are his disciple, you'd know!_

_He hasn't seen fit to tell me. Now get back to work! And Rajura_-kun_, make sure they make it to Tou Hashiba alive!_

If there was one thing that grated on the one-eyed man's nerves more than anything else, it was the fact that Badamon simply had to be his superior, and loved to call all of them -kun to emphasize his importance. Arrogant piece of scrap.

_I heard that. Get to work._

_Yes, mother. Oh wait, exalted Badamon-sama._

Rajura broke his link.

* * *

Watanabe looked nervously at Touma's companions. He didn't trust them. Not after how they had been acting since they started on the road to Tou Hashiba. Every night they'd camp together. Nobody in that group trusted the deadly-looking red one, not even Touma. However, there seemed to be something almost underhanded about how the monk, red man, and Lugan mercenary talked to Touma and his long-ear emissary. Almost like they had some sort of hold over them.

Watanabe shook off that thought and looked back at the column. He had some of the finest archers in all Hashiba. He would protect his prince, even if his prince didn't know what was safe for him.

There were just too many things that didn't feel right. Like when they started to spar each night. At first, Watanabe was relieved that the red man was gone. He had hoped that the twin sword wielding devil had left for good. Unfortunately, he returned, even to the displeasure of his associates. But when he came back, they started to spar with _bare_ blades! That was _no_ way to spar! And what's more, even the gangly priest, who was beaten by all his companions, could defeat Touma!

Of course, by far the worst example of how untrustworthy the red man, no more like _blood_ man, was that battle. There was simply no way that he could have known it was coming. But with the merc to back him up, he convinced Touma that they were going to be attacked. As if that wasn't bad enough, Watanabe had seen the blood man fight. No human or elf that he had ever seen could fight like that. It simply isn't possible! He even sliced is own companion, the monk, in the heat of battle. Watanabe hoped he'd never have to face the blood demon in battle. He doubted he'd survive.

They set up camp for the night, and Watanabe had a long sip from a flask he had bought for the trip. At least in the Outlet, Touma's associates were civil. Now they were outright hostile. Watanabe watched the group sit around a fire. Something seemed different this evening. There was tension in the air, he could _feel_ it.

Watanabe quietly told his sub officers to be prepared for anything.

As it turned out, Watanabe was woken rudely during the night by a large herd of mercenaries raiding their camp. The blood demon was leading the charge. Oh might Kaosu help them, they were going to be slaughtered!

"Form up!" he shouted. "Archers! String your bows! Get moving _now_!"

"Protect Touma-sama!" came the cry from the ranks. Watanabe would never understand how so many people could rally around one person so quickly. Unfortunately, Touma's associates surrounded him, and started to fight the _Hashibans_! No way, was Touma being controlled to fight his own people? This just wasn't right!

"Get Touma-sama and Seiji-san out of here _now_!" Watanabe roared. He couldn't have Touma or his emissary around these strangers any more. They needed to be separated. The king had to be informed. These demons couldn't be allowed near Touma-sama!

The fight was bloody, but it didn't last long. Watanabe was grateful he had put some archers in the trees. It was ultimately what had saved them. He pulled out his sword and walked over to where the blood demon and the others were with Touma.

The five were uninjured and their belongings had been left untouched.

"Touma-sama."

"Yes, Watanabe? What can I do for you?"

"I'm placing you and your long-ear emissary under protective custody for the remainder of the journey." Ignoring gasps of surprise, he turned to the other three. "You three are now under arrest."

"WHAT!"

Seiji stepped forward. "I wish to know why our companions are under arrest."

"For killing Hashibans."

"Eh?"

"You three have been conspiring to do something to Touma-sama, and I can't allow that. You are now under arrest and will be given a trial in Tou Hashiba, once Touma-sama and the long-ear are safely back with the king."

The long-ear persisted. "I fail to see what these three have done wrong. They have killed no Hashibans."

Watanabe glared at the elf. "So you were in on it as well. You're under arrest as well." He turned to the guards that he had waiting. "Put them in chains on their horses until they get to Tou Hashiba. Keep their packs and weapons in the wagons. And make sure the blood demon is secure."

The demon glared at him with flaming blue eyes. Then they softened. "How very interesting . . ." he murmured.

* * *

Rajura howled in laughter from his nights work. It went perfectly. Now almost all of them would be suspected of high treason and set to jail for the rest of their lives. Nothing could have worked out better.


	5. Tou Hashiba 04

The castle of Tou Hashiba was not what one expected for a country called "The Bank of the World". Instead of illustrious towers and colorful roofs and all around magnificence, the castle of Tou Hashiba was short, squat, and . . . well . . . economical. It was only about ten stories tall, with large, fat bricks imported from the mountainous Luga. The castle was circular in nature, with four gates on each compass direction. The only tower of the castle was smack dab in the middle, lifting three extra stories, and provided the extravagant view of the city.

Tou Hashiba was the largest inland city of the known world, at the intersection of almost every major road and highway of the country of Hashiba. The city itself had underground sewers, fountains at every square and sturdy wooden buildings; some of which dated back to the Fifty Year War.

Shuten looked out upon the city from the castle tower. Even though he had visited the capital several times as a youth, he had never seen the city from above. He found it gave him a sense of superiority. Shuten reveled in it.

Take right now, for example. Shuten was watching the out and out parade that was being made of the return of the fabled Touma-sama. His capture and return to the king almost always caused a spectacle, with people lining the wide streets to see their future king, at least once, before he was once again locked away somewhere in the castle. The numbers watching today however were reaching near double what was normally expected.

Shuten grinned as he continued to roll dice in his free hand, the other holding the ledge of the tower. The dice were of his own creation, loaded to fall snake eyes unless he held the dice. He recalled how insulted the serpentine Naaza had been when he heard the term.

Tossing the dice and then continuing to roll them in his hand, he studied the procession that was coming in through the south gate, following the South Avenue up to the castle. There were indeed five of them. Shuten carefully set out his magic to the five, examining their ki and learning what he could for them. Like the spring season, Shuten absorbed energy for his own personal growth, and now he grew to know the five troopers that were riding in.

The first in the procession was the blue haired prince himself, the mighty Tenkuu no Touma. Even from the distance he was at, Shuten could see the slumped shoulders and the hanging head. He rode his white stallion bareback, with a score of soldiers carefully surrounding and "protecting" the prince. Shuten smirked, sensing that, in fact, they were caging him. Shuten planned a much more confining prison. When he was through with the prince, he would be forbidden to see the light of day. Shuten would watch with great joy as the blue haired prince would slowly pale and become sick, weakening to the point of being unable to even leave his bed. Surely even that would be satisfactory to the ever mind-changing and blue skinned Badamon. Much as Shuten would want the prince to die, and die horribly from the fate the Kitsune had set out for him, Shuten settled himself with watching Touma waste away.

The next in line was the light elf, or as he liked to be called, Korin no Seiji. His gold and white palomino wore Touma's saddle, and to it Seiji was tied, looking for the entire world like he had been given the worst insult ever bestowed upon him. Shuten grinned. He and the other three had much more in store for them. If the lofty Seiji felt he was being insulted now, then just wait. Shuten decided to add a slight. He moved his perceptions down to the palomino and absorbed the ki from the mounts right forefoot. The horse tripped, sending the light elf lurching forward in the uncomfortable saddle. Seiji glared for a moment, then looked around.

Shuten withdrew from the elf. He had forgotten that elves, both light and dark, could sense another's presence with greater ease then most. Anubisu in particular was very sensitive to such sensations. He had gone after the Kitsune Shuten with a blade when he had first sent his perception to the dark elf.

The monk Shin-sir was next. Shuten never understood adding the suffix "sir" to a priest's name. The sir was also tied to his saddle, the mighty staff missing from his mount, as was Korin's sword. The brown haired Shin gazed upon the crowd that was watching him, a mixture of confusion and modesty on his face. It was obviously the first time he had been seen by so many people, and also the first time he had ever been arrested. The sir seemed to be trying to make the best of the situation, confident that justice would be served. In that sense he was fairing much better than the prince and his emissary. That confidence would change. Shuten would make it change. He would show the sir and the world how unfair the Hashiban justice system was, how everything was based on who your father was and if you were an Oni.

Behind Shin-sir rode the burly Lugan mercenary, Shuu. As the other two, he was tied to his saddle. Unlike the other two, he was perfectly calm. He was even smiling to the crowd and entertaining them by attempting to wave. The motion was jerked to a halt as the mercenary was reminded how short the rope binding him was. Several laughs emitted from the crowd, and Shuu laughed with them. Shuten sensed that the orange clad Shuu had been arrested before, and that the process what nothing new to him. Shuten nodded, appreciating the feeling of almost being arrested. It was a memory that he did not want to dwell on, so he pushed it aside and moved on.

Shuten sent out his perceptions to the red clad unknown. Rajura, despite his best efforts, could not even gather the man's name. Shuten wanted to scoff at the Gen's inability. He wanted to, but he did not. The five of them had been traveling together for two weeks, and during that time, they had all been introduced EXCEPT the unknown? That was unlikely. There must have been maho at work. There was no other way to explain how they had not learned the unknown's name until now. Shuten intended to correct the matter as he looked at the ki of the red clad and tiger eyed man.

The man, bound in rope and tied to Shuu's charger, turned his head and seemed to look directly at Shuten.

And smiled.

Shuten's perceptions were hurled back at him, with no new information except one thing. The form the unknown was in was not his only form. Shuten reeled. Not his only form? Was he human? He was obviously not elfin, but then what was he?

Shuten found himself gripping the ledge of the tower with both hands and breathing hoarsely. His dice had rolled not far away, showing box cars. What in the world of gods was THAT?

Shuten took a deep breath and slowly brought his body back under control. The procession was already halfway up the South Avenue, making their way to the south castle gate.

There was a creaking sound, and Shuten turned to see the lecherous king had come to the tower to watch the spectacle as well.

"Shuten!" he said graciously, a smile on his lips. "I was expecting you to be going over the accounts. Again."

Shuten bowed to the king and replied. "I already have. There is no mistake. A substantial amount of funds have been diverted from the central and sub vaults. Someone has been taking money from the treasury in staggering amounts."

"Have you found the culprit?"

"Of course." Himself. But Shuten wasn't about to admit that he took the all the ohash and put it in a private account in Yuuki; at least what he had not doubled at the tables. Instead he said, "I fear that the name will disturb you. The one who has been taking money for over a year in order to feed his rampant and obsessive need for gambling, and also to fund his continual escapes outside the castle, is none other than you young nephew; the recently returned Touma-sama."

King Hashiba gasped. "No! That can't be! He told me that he hated gambling!"

"I believe that he hates losing, O-sama."

"I must look into this," the king said. He turned to Shuten. "I'm sure that you've prepared a report for me?"

"It is in you study, waiting for you, O-sama," Shuten replied blandly. "If you will excuse me, there are some personal matters that I must attend to."

The king of Hashiba grinned widely. "You mean that little vixen of yours?"

"I do."

"Why do I never see her? I would prefer to see for myself that one as fine as you is already taken."

"It is for that reason that I keep her from you. I fear that seeing her may make you want to investigate the other sex, and I would broke no other's hands on her but my own."

The king nodded. "Practical as always, Shuten-kun. If a little bit exaggerated." The king placed a hand on Shuten's shoulder, squeezing it slightly before reentering the tower to greet his wayward nephew.

Shuten brushed the dirty sensation off of his shoulder, grimacing as he did so and wondering yet again why he was putting up with that lecherous old man. But then, the false vixen he had concocted gave him the time he needed to make the right contacts. Right now, he had to harden his stomach to meet the one eyed Gen.

* * *

"How long have you been in the city?" Shuten asked.

"Got in last night."

"And you didn't come straight to me? That king is going to call an audience with me any minute and I'm not going to know how to run the set up."

Rajura rolled his eye. "Try to keep up with the obvious, Shuten."

"I would, except you always play with a marked deck."

A sigh of one who was talking to a child escaped Rajura's lips before replying. "I'll be glad to spell it out for you, really I will. Why do you think they came in bound?"

"They've been arrested," Shuten said dismissively. "I know that much already. I'm not totally stupid."

"Really?"

"Don't start with me," Shuten said in a low voice. "Much as I'd like to cut the cards with you, I don't have the time. Why were they arrested?"

"I had them attack Captain Watanabe and his mercenary soldiers. The unknown lead the attack."

"How did you pull that off?"

"Do I really need to explain that?"

"You never gamble part way. You always lay it all on the table," Shuten replied. "They've been traveling together for two weeks. How did you get Watana-whatever to believe what he saw with his eyes?"

Rajura pursed his lips, not liking to give away the subtleties of what he had done.

"Watanabe thinks that the three have some hold over the mighty Touma and his boot licking lackey, the Korin. Does that spell it out for you sufficiently?"

Shuten let loose a small burst of a laugh. "More than satisfactory. Good work, Rajura. However inadvertently, you've stacked the cards in my favor. I'll remember how helpful my assistant was when I report this to Badamon-sama."

Rajura let loose an equally small laugh. "Try it, and you'll find out why I was the one who was deemed capable of finding those five."

Both men laughed lightly, neither smile reaching their eyes.

* * *

Touma paced in the meeting room, his blue hair standing slightly on end and his feathers fluttering with the speed in which he paced.

"For what purpose are we in chains?" Seiji demanded, not for the first time.

"I have nothing further to say to you barbarians," Captain Watanabe said evenly, his face professional.

"Barbarians?" Shin responded. "Surely you don't honestly think that we would attack your men. For what purpose would that serve? Ryo-san here told you back in the Outlet that numbers were the preferred way of travel. I don't understand why you think that we've hurt your men."

Captain Watanabe said nothing as he waited for the king. After entering the city, the four prisoners' ropes had been replaced with chains. They went immediately to the meeting room, and were now waiting for the king, Touma's uncle, to appear.

"Relax, Shin," Shuu said good-naturedly. "The Hashiban justice system is said to rival that at Luga. Everything will be fine."

"Yes," Ryo said calmly. His face remained placid, with even the faintest hint of a smile on his lips. "Everything will be just fine."

A red haired man, obviously of Kitsune heritage, stepped out from behind the throne that everyone was waiting in front of. His large if narrow green eyes surveyed the group before him, his mouth twisted slightly into a lopsided grin.

"His High Benevolence, the Head of the Bank, the Smartest of Accountants, the Fountain of Gold, Hashiba no O-sama!" he announced.

Touma rolled his eyes and continued to pace as his uncle appeared from where the announcer had come and took his place at the throne.

"Touma."

"Uncle."

The king was not an old man, as one often pictured. He was of middle age, lines only just beginning to show on his face. His hair was an even lighter blue than Touma's or even Touma's father, and the tell-tale lock of hair fell into his eyes, much like his nephew. He squinted slightly, examining the four prisoners. As Touma expected, it was not long before he got off the throne to get a closer look. He circled each prisoner, sizing them up before returning to his seat. The red headed Kitsune leaned over and whispered something into the king's ear.

"It really is a shame, Touma, that they are such criminals," the O-sama of Hashiba said. "Those four would get along really well with me."

"UNCLE!" Touma shouted. "It's bad enough you say that kind of stuff in private, please don't say those things in public!"

"Now, Touma," the king said with a scolding tone. "You're in no position to lecture me after what you've done."

Touma faltered. "'What I've done'?" he repeated. "What did I do besides the usual?"

The king shook his finger in front of the prince. "Now, now. Don't play dumb with me, Touma." The king looked to the red head. "Shuten?"

The Kitsune nodded, and stepped forward until he was directly in front of Touma. Wordlessly, he hands the prince a small stack of documents.

"What's this?" Touma scanned the document quickly, taking in the numbers and calculating as he went. "Uncle, someone's diverted almost a tenth of Hashiba's capital!"

"And of course you wouldn't know who that is," his uncle said blandly.

"No," Touma said, his face frowned in confusion.

The king sighed. "I almost believe you, Touma. But things have gone on far enough. I know that you don't like the idea of having the crown. Because of that, I've let you run away in hopes that you clear your head and eventually come to realize that you are the only one who can take my place. But it appears I've given you too much of a free hand. Using the Vault capital for personal gambling and for the funding of your 'trips' has gotten to be too much; and I can't allow it anymore."

"Me?" Touma almost shouted. "You think I'm the one diverting the funds?"

"Look at the documentation," Shuten notes. "Every diversion has been in your name; and there is evidence that you have been using the funds to gamble away in the countries that you visit."

"Do I look that stupid?" Touma demanded. "I hate gambling! How many times have I told you that, uncle?"

"I don't think you hate gambling so much as you hate losing. But I don't think I have to explain myself anymore, do you?" The O-sama leaned back in his chair. "Your rather large and outstanding debt is an insult to the family name. I had thought that we Tenkuu would be free of the obsession to test our luck, but it appears that I've been proven wrong. I am officially grounding you-"

"WHAT?"

"-and hope that someday you'll understand what I'm trying to do for you. Shuten, show him to his room."

"With pleasure, O-sama." Shuten meant it.

With Touma and the redheaded Kitsune gone, the king looked to the four prisoners, each with a Hashiban guard.

"And you! I'm shocked that you had the nerve to show your faces in this country! It's bad enough that you're the ones to put my poor misguided nephew in debt-"

"EH!"

"-But to intend to kill me to put him on the throne and then blackmail him to do what you want is despicable! Even the handpicked elfin emissary was in on it! It turns my stomach to think that people like you exist! How did you even plan to kill me? Never mind, don't answer that. You've all been placed under arrest with the charge of assaulting Hashiban soldiers, correct?" Captain Watanabe nodded enthusiastically. "Very well then, you can expect me to add on the charge of treason as soon as Shuten and I find more evidence on you. Enjoy the trial. Take them away!"

"But-" started three out of the four prisoners. Ryo remained quiet.

"No buts, now get out!"

* * *

The following morning, Shuten had his five enemies gathered in the king's private conference room. The king was surrounded by only two guards, but this was Hashiba. Archers were hidden throughout the room with arrows waiting for something to happen. The five were seated at one table and Shuten sat at another. Along the back wall were several other prisoners in chains who would be his witnesses, including Rajura in disguise. This was going to be a performance. Since only the king was allowed to make rulings in cases of high treason, Shuten had this sham of a trial in the bag. He'd had the king's ear since he returned to Hashiba over three years ago. The dirty-minded king trusted Shuten more than his own nephew right now. The cards were all in his favor.

Fingering the dice in his pocket, Shuten stood.

"My king, shall we proceed?"

"Yes, Shuten."

The unknown stood and bowed. "Your majesty, should we not have a priest-sir to view the proceedings? As a man of your high position and honor must know, a monk-sir can see the difference between deceit and truth."

The king smiled broadly at the young man in red. "You may put your mind at rest. I have studied the truth-reading of monks. I know what to look for."

"As you command," the tiger-eyed man replied, seating himself.

"Without further interruptions," Shuten slyly interjected, "I shall begin my case." He pulled out the papers he had the previous day. "You have already seen these papers, my king. A very large amount of funding has been diverted from the Hashiban treasury. As most of the world knows, Hashiba is a very forgiving country. As long as its citizens don't mind paying their taxes, they can swindle and steal as much as they want. However, the whole purpose of their money gathering is to get money into our treasury. That is why we are so stable. However, in order to abide by those rules, one must love Hashiba." Shuten paced in front of the king. Why not. He might as well spill some things now.

He stood in front of Touma. If his prince was so scared of being a king, Shuten would make sure he'd never become king.

"One must love Hashiba. Love Hashiba even more than one's own family. Touma-sama, do you understand that? If someone chooses to love their family or themselves more than this country, they are marked as an Oni." Touma looked quizzically up to him. Evidently the filthy king had not informed Touma of the fate worse than debt.

"Shuten," the king said somewhat crossly.

"An Oni is not something someone wants. If you are given an Oni mark, your entire family is wiped out. Any that survive know that their descendants will be marked as well. We Hashibans love to follow our blood back generations upon generations. One _knows_ that one has an Oni mark. And so does the king. From that point forward, an Oni must live his life in terror of the rest of Hashiba knowing, thereby throwing him out never allowing him to be a part of the country he loves."

"That's enough Shuten. Get to the point," the king said sternly.

"Of course, your majesty." He turned once more to Touma. "Do you have any idea what you have done? You may have placed an Oni mark on yourself, which simply can _not_ be allowed on the royal family of Hashiba. You must understand the seriousness of your crimes, since the ones beside you who hold your debt over your head do not love this country enough to understand."

Touma was looking at Shuten in absolute horror. Since the great prince had not known of this tiny bit of politics, he was obviously having some difficulty with it. However, his look of horror was all Shuten needed. It would make him look as guilty as rigged races to the king. Perfect.

_I know you're having fun right now_, Rajura chided in his mind, _but_ I'm _the actor. Get on with it._

_Even Naaza could do a better job than you. Let me enjoy myself. The royal family is going to pay for giving me an Oni mark and killing my family._

_Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just get going!_

"Now that that is out of the way," Shuten calmly brought out the papers again. "As I have already stated. Large amounts of funds have been diverted. All have been in your name, Touma-sama. However, that is just the start. This alone is enough to give you an Oni mark upon your family."

Shuten placed the papers in front of the king. "I believe you have already seen these, my king." He turned back to the five.

"However, Touma-sama, gambling was not enough for you. You have also used these diversions to fund your little excursions from the palace. However, the debtors you are seated with are even worse. Surely, you could have at least gambled with nicer people. But we won't get into that now. Captain Watanabe, please step forward."

With the captain now here, Shuten grilled him on the trip from the Outlet. He spent more time on the illusions that Rajura had given them rather than the meeting before Rajura started to follow them. Since the unwitting captain had believed what he saw, he was telling the truth. Still, Shuten had to be careful with "truth". He'd never known that the king could tell the truth from a fixed roulette wheel. In fact, he didn't know that monks of Kaosu could do that, so he had to be careful of whom he questioned. He fingered the dice in his pocket again.

After he was through with Watanabe, he used some of his sub officers, going through the same thing. The king's face was showing more and more betrayal as he went. Shuten knew how to stack a deck in his favor, there was no doubt about that.

_I_ said _that_ I _am the actor, curse it! Now get me up there!_

"You, with the scar on the eye, come here."

Rajura stepped forward disguised in his illusion. _It's about time!_

"You," Shuten paced around Rajura's and his illusionary face. "You were one of the persons who attacked our noble captain Watanabe, were you not?"

"The pay was good," Rajura replied his voice deeper than it normally would be.

"Why did you attack?"

"Good pay."

"What were you ordered to do?"

"Fight."

Shuten sighed. "Can you be more specific?"

"Fight."

Shuten took a rather pleasing delight in hitting Rajura to the ground.

_Why the curses did you do that!_

_Answer my questions better, you fool. The king needs answers, now give them!_

Rajura grumbled quite a bit as he got up.

"Perhaps now you will be more cooperative."

The unknown, however, stood up. "Your majesty," he bowed yet again. "I was a graduate of the Hashiba University," several people, including Shuten sweatdropped and fell to the ground. He was _what_? That school produced the smartest people in the world!

"As an undergraduate, I studied some of your justice system. I don't believe striking a witness was something that was approved of."

The king of Hashiba groaned and swatted away his sweatdrop. "You must realize that this case is rather different than how things normally go. I notice you have not brought up the fact that there is nobody here but us."

"And I understand that, your majesty, but I don't feel it right to strike someone down like that. Though I do not know this man, seeing him struck down is not something I can tolerate."

The king of Hashiba leaned forward, his eyes narrow. "You do realize that you're stretching the truth somewhere in there, young . . ." Shuten didn't hear the name, despite his keen ears, "if that is really your name."

The unknown smiled. "Then allow me to clarify so that I may be more precise in my honesty. Yes that is my name. No, I do not know that man, but I have my suspicions on who he is, but I can't get into right now, since we are not here to defend ourselves at this time. I do not like seeing him struck down." The red clad man's smile grew wider. "If I was lying, and I did know that man, I would still not like to see someone under my employment struck down. If I pay such good money as he says, it is because I care."

The king leaned back. "You are a very interesting young man. I wish I had seen you before the trial."

"UNCLE!"

"Alright. You've been telling quite a bit of truth. Any halfwit monk could see that. However, something about this doesn't seem right. Shuten will continue now, but he will not strike anyone else down." The king turned to Shuten. "Will you, Shuten?"

"No my king . . ."

"Very good. Continue."

_Who_ is _that unknown?_ Rajura demanded.

_He maneuvered the king to believe him!_ Shuten fumed. _I have to almost start from scratch!_

"Shuten? Will you continue now?"

"Forgive me, my king," Shuten replied, bowing low. "I was taken by surprise that this young man has graduated from our illustrious school. Normally criminal minds come from the bottom of the gutter, not the top of the crop."

_Good save_, Rajura chided. _Now question me. I'll be more forthcoming._

_It's about time._

"Now then, who was your commander?"

Rajura pointed to one of the chained men along the back wall.

"Let's try a different approach, who was your purse string?"

The unknown was pointed too.

"Who were you ordered to attack?"

The disguised one-eyed man pointed to Watanabe.

"Do you know why?"

"That's for my boss. I just do as I'm told."

"Very well." The boss of the mercenaries was brought forth. Shuten looked him over appraisingly.

"You led the mercenaries that attacked Captain Watanabe?"

"A good merc doesn't talk about his employer," the ragged man replied, glaring back to Rajura. So his illusion had slipped. What a shame. Shuten filed that away to see how he could use turn the tables against the Gen for Arago-sama's favor.

"Need I remind you that you will be sent to the dungeons for what you have done? It is merely a question of how long. If you cooperate with us, your time will be shorter. If not, it will be longer."

The man ran a chained hand through his mop of hair.

"As I understand it, you have a family back home that you are trying to support. Would it not be better to give us the information we are looking for so that you may return to them as soon as possible?"

Looking down, the man avoided Shuten's eyes. Excellent. He was in the palm of his hand now.

"Very good," he continued. "Who hired you?"

"Depends on who you're looking at."

"Explain."

"Guy in red had the money. One in orange gathered us."

"Can you name them?"

"Not the money-man. Too high and mighty to give his name. Guy in orange is Shuu. One of the best in Luga."

"What else can you tell us about them?"

"Long-ear gave info about the column. So'd the monk."

Shin stood up, slamming his hands down on the table with great force. "That is a bold-faced lie! I would never plot something like that or give information to someone who is seeking to harm another! O-sama," Shin turned to the king. "You know I speak the truth since you understand the face as I do!"

Seiji and Shuu pulled Shin back down into his seat.

The king leveled his stare to the young priest. "You have not been paying attention," he calmly stated. "Otherwise you'd have seen that everyone who has stepped forward has spoken the truth as you do now."

"That's what I can't figure out," Shin replied quietly. "How can we all be speaking truthfully?"

"As king, I will judge that. Now," the king looked up above all their heads. "Should there be any more interruption by _any_one, put an arrow in their shoulder. Let's move along quickly. I don't like have possible murders in my conference room for very long."

There were several gulps. Shuten smiled inwardly. The king wasn't taking any chances. That meant the old lech was leaning towards Shuten's thinking since Shuten had one thing in his favor. The accounts of the diverted funds. They couldn't lie or tell the truth. They were fact. His doctored fact, but fact none the less. No matter what would be said, he had the trial in his dice.

_Stop gloating and get on with it!_

_Will you leave me alone!_

_Cursed Kitsune._

Shuten repressed a sigh and continued his persecution of Touma and his associates. He more or less had Touma-sama, the priest, the merc and the unknown imprisoned. The only one he had trouble pinning was the Korin. As an emissary who only arrived the day before Touma-sama's latest escapade, he wouldn't have known about Touma's "debts", nor would he know the others beforehand. Another problem in trying to convict the light elf was that the Hashiban royal family knew more about Elvin culture than most. They would know that Seiji was hand-picked to be emissary, therefore would have an impeccable record. Tarnishing that proved difficult.

Still, Shuten was rather pleased with his results. While conviction of the Korin elf was questionable, he drove the nail through the coffins of the other four. At least he would be satisfied to watch Touma pay for the crimes his family bestowed upon Shuten's.

"So, my king," Shuten said as he gracefully started to conclude his case, "Touma-sama has diverted funds for his own uses and his debtors have hung that over his head in hopes of coming to Hashiba and putting him on the throne. May Kaosu-sama forbid we ever find out what they would do if they had succeeded."

The king of Hashiba looked seriously at everyone gathered.

"Touma, my nephew, these are some very serious accusations against you. I expect you to act accordingly. I am appointing your red-clad friend to defend you, since you have not had experience in court before. He seems to have had training, and is far more intimate with the situation you find yourself in. Tomorrow, he will defend you and your companions. You will be confined to your room for until then, and the other four shall be taken down to a secluded part of the dungeon so that they may discuss your defense."

"But Uncle!"

"No buts, Touma." The king leaned back in his chair, looking older than he had when he first appeared. "I want you to think about how serious this is. I will visit you later tonight and discuss it more with you. I am sure you have questions."

"But Uncle!"

The king firmly stated, "That is enough Touma! Guards."

Shuten inwardly laughed. The unknown had no chance of undoing everything he'd done today. Not even an act of Kaosu could help.

_Shut. Up. _I _did all the work!_

Shuten didn't even dignify Rajura with a response, he just went to his room to gather some marked decks and decided to hit some of the more private games for the rest of the night.


	6. Tou Hashiba 05

Shuu stared at the ceiling of his cell, utterly and completely frustrated. It normally took a great deal to get under his armor, but this whole trial was ready to send him up the wall. They had been set up, and perfectly, by _some_one who wanted them out of the way. But for what, he could not ascertain, though he believed that Ryo had a pretty good idea.

To make matters worse, Touma, the one who had an inside to get out of this mess, was just whining about how unfair everything was. Why couldn't that misplaced prince simply talk to his uncle the king? It wasn't that hard was it? The two seemed close enough, so the king should trust his nephew. But instead Touma was so complacent that he gave a very damaging impression that made the rest of the look bad and put them into the place they were now.

It was downright aggravating.

"I don't believe this!" he exclaimed, sitting up and looking over to Shin, who was across from him. "Why is Touma whining about this? Can't he just explain this to his uncle?"

"Shuu," Shin replied in a scolding voice. "You can see better than that. Something is bothering Touma. We've been together long enough for you to see that."

"So then why hasn't he shared it with us? If he did, we might be able to get out of this predicament!"

Seiji's voice cut in from his cell next to Shin, "Does he not have a right to privacy?"

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," Ryo's voice answered from somewhere next to Shuu, sounding sad. These cursed cells didn't allow for face-to-face conversations very well. "Touma is petrified. So petrified that he can't even talk about it."

"Oh?" replied Shuu, somewhat softer than his rather uncalled for outburst a few moments ago. He had a bad habit of doing that.

"He's scared of becoming king."

Shin's eyebrows must have risen. "Why?"

"He's loves Hashiba so much that he's afraid of making a mistake as king."

Seiji scoffed. "The people know that he was hand-picked by the current king. They know that he will do well. What has that to do with being king?"

"Yeah," Shuu agreed, "and doesn't he realize that as king he's got a lot of perks that most folk don't see in a lifetime?"

Shin tisked Shuu.

Ryo continued, "Being king in Hashiba requires a great deal out of a person. The king, no matter the generation, is a sort of micro-manager. While different parts of government handle different things, all parts of the government answer directly to the king, not some middleman."

Shuu thought he saw Seiji raise an eyebrow. "_All_ parts of the government? For humans, doesn't that require a great deal?"

Shin nodded eyes wide in amazement. "Things like army, security, money, scholars, mail, trade, law enforcement, law making, etc?"

"Exactly."

The king of Hashiba had to manage all that! Shuu started to understand why Touma was hardly thrilled about the idea of becoming king. "Hey, wait a minute! Why can't the king simply appoint someone to handle some of that stuff and have them report to him?"

Seiji sighed. "Because Hashibans believe that if you cannot handle your own affairs, you are not fit to."

"So," Shin summarized, "the king handles everything to prove he's worthy of being king."

"Precisely."

"But Touma is very smart," Shin remarked. "He could easily handle those things."

"But he will make a mistake," Ryo answered.

"How is that a problem?" Seiji asked. "People know that their rulers are not perfect. They understand that their rulers can make mistakes."

Ryo let out a long sigh. "But Touma is afraid that the mistakes he'll make will harm the people of Hashiba. If the people are harmed, Touma would never be able to forgive himself. He loves Hashiba that much."

"In that perspective, I can see why Touma complains about becoming king," Shin murmured.

"So how do you know all this, Ryo?" Shuu asked.

A chuckle was his reply. "You will all find out either tomorrow or the day after if I am reading things right."

Seiji snorted, mumbling, "What sort of answer was that?"

Shuu silently agreed.

* * *

Shuten sat down in his moderately ornate chair in the king's conference room. Today the unknown would give some sort of defense. Though how he could do anything was beyond Shuten. Four of the five aggressors had been in jail all night, and that hardly builds up a defense. Besides, the unknown didn't have access to his altered papers. There was about enough chance of his opponents to get out of his trumped up charges as a lame horse winning a race. None. However, Shuten did find that he was partially interested in what sort of ploys the unknown would use to try and squirm out of what he had put them into.

The king finally came in and took his throne, motioning for the guards to bring in the prisoners. Touma had somehow joining them in transport.

"Now then," the king said, "Are you prepared, to give your defense . . . ?" Shuten _knew_ the king had mentioned the unknown's name, but he still couldn't hear it. It had to be maho.

"I believe I am," the raven-haired would-be lawyer replied.

"Then proceed."

The unknown stood up and took a place beside the king, facing his companions and Shuten. Now why wasn't he facing the king?

"I believe I should best begin this by addressing what the loyal Shuten had brought up before. The Oni mark."

Was it Shuten, or did the unknown's eyes seem to home in on Touma?

"An Oni mark is indeed a very dangerous thing to have, especially in Hashiba. For Hashibans, knowing where you come from is very important. Knowing that your distant ancestor invented paper, or started a new department in the government gives a Hashiba a great deal of respect. Even if nothing important has happened, you can take pride that your family has been a part of Hashiba for so long and continued to support the king and helped put money into the treasury."

Shuten narrowed his eyes. This unknown was too eloquent for his own good.

"However, every so often, a tragedy befalls a family and an Oni mark is bestowed."

Now those tiger blue eyes were pointing to him. Shuten shifted positions in the chair. Whatever the unknown was about to say, it was _definitely_ meant for his ears. But how would that unknown know about his Oni mark? And why were those eyes so familiar to him?

"Over the centuries, hundreds of people have been unfortunate enough to gain an Oni mark. And for several generations, they live in fear. However, fear does not always last. I know of one person in this country, whose father was a good man and merchant. One day, his mother became violently ill."

No way. Shuten fumed inside. This couldn't be.

"However, in order to get the medicine needed to cure his mother, his father would have to spend months she didn't have going through red rope and legal hoops. His father, instead, avoided the taxes and donations he would normally contribute to Hashiba's treasury and bought the medicine."

Shuten glared, trying very hard to keep his anger and resentment inside of him.

"For that, his father was given an Oni mark. Only the son escaped."

This unknown was _too_ dangerous. How did that cursed unknown know about Shuten's father? Or his mother? Or that he had _escaped_?

"However, that son now holds a very high position in the government under a different name."

The king interrupted, "I fail to see how this is important."

The unknown never broke his eye contact with Shuten. "What you just said bears importance to the matter that the esteemed Shuten brought up yesterday. You did not ask who the Oni you work with is. Therefore, you do not care about having an Oni working closely with you?"

"As long as he helps get money into the bank, I see no problem with it."

"That is my point, O-sama," the unknown continued. "An Oni can overcome his mark and become accepted by the people of Hashiba."

Shuten almost growled, barely keeping his unaffected face up. That cursed unknown didn't know that he _still_ had to hide. That he _still_ had to watch his step. He was only accepted because no one knew he was an Oni. If the king knew that, then he would be fired immediately, and likely banished if he was lucky. More likely killed. He had been _extremely_ careful about his return to Hashiba. He made sure that _no one_ knew about his mark. How in the name of Arago-sama did that unknown know!

_Shuten! Stop shouting! I'm sure that the long ear and the snake can hear you from the Outlet! Calm down and focus!_

_That . . . that . . . He knows! He knows about me and most likely the rest of you!_

_Just shut up and deal with it. You have a trial to win, now do it!_

Shuten merely growled back at Rajura. The red-clad demon of an unknown continued his speech.

"There is common saying here in Hashiba. 'Do your father proud.'"

Shuten's eyes widened of their own volition. It wasn't possible. It just couldn't be. It was _him_! The gambling teller who had given him money the night the Oni mark changed his life, the night he won money to leave Hashiba. That teller was _him_! That wasn't possible! That was almost ten years ago! There was no way that the young unknown, who couldn't even be twenty, was the young teller from almost ten years ago!

_Shuten! Pay attention!_

"Watanabe, would you please step forward."

The red-clad unknown's questions to Watanabe focused on when they had initially met in the Outlet. Evidently, the captain had formed rather good opinions of everyone there, but once Rajura had control with his illusions, the red-haired captain had begrudgingly let his opinion of them drop. Also, Watanabe evidently had some doubts about some of the situations that had happened over the course of their travels. This just couldn't be.

The sub officers also had similar sentiments. This was undermining a lot of what Shuten had done. That only left the mercenaries accounts, and Shuten was starting to have some serious doubts about whether or not he'd actually be able to win this case. His whole case hinged on three things, the officers, the mercenaries, and the paperwork. With the officers now unhinged, his case was strongly weakened. How could everything go to the house so easily?

The unknown turned to the mercenaries who lined the back wall. "Would the one with the scar over his eye please step forward?"

_Be careful, Rajura. He's tricky._

_I won't be caught so easily._

_Don't be so cursed arrogant._

The raven-haired unknown turned to the king. "O-sama, I must ask for a small measure of trust form you."

"Oh?"

"Yes." He walked over to Shuten, showing his hands. "Loyal Shuten, do I have anything on my hands or wrists that may harm the king?"

Shuten studied the hands and wrists, seeing nothing. What was he up to? "While I am hardly an expert, I do not see anything of the like."

The unknown kept his hands were anyone could see them and walked over to the king. "The trust I need from you is that I may guide your hand to something."

The king raised an eyebrow. "You realize this is a highly unusual request. I should refuse."

"Your wording indicates that you will not."

"You are a very curious young man. I really wish I had met you before this trial."

"UNCLE!"

The king offered his hand.

The tiger-eyes went to Rajura's disguise. "Would you please step a little closer?"

* * *

Rajura stepped forward, his eye wary. This cursed blue-eyed unknown had reduced Shuten to mental screaming profanities. Something was up. What was his ploy? Why did he need the king's hand? And why did Rajura himself have to be closer? What was he up to?

"O-sama, I mentioned yesterday that I had suspicions about who this man was."

"Yes, after Shuten had struck him down."

Ryo took the kings hand and placed it over Rajura's unseen eye patch.

Rajura started to swear very loudly in his mind.

Shuten paused from his fuming long enough to ask, _Now what's wrong?_

_The king knows it's an illusion now!_

_How?_

_Because my illusions are only visual, you idiot!_

_I don't understand._

_The king has his hand on my_ eye patch_! He can feel the eye patch, so he knows that this is only an illusion._

_That cursed unknown._

Rajura agreed.

"You are indeed an interesting young man," the dirty old king said to the tiger-eyed young man. "I see your point quite clearly about this mercenary."

"Thank you for your kind words, O-sama."

"Is there anything else you need this unusual man to do?"

"I do have a few things to say."

"Then do so."

Those tiger-blue eyes focused on him. "Are you not originally from Yang Shi?"

_It might be better to be moderately honest,_ Shuten advised. _Just watch your wording._

_Easy for you to say, you dice wielding Kitsune._

_Arrogant Gen._

"Yes, I was born in Shi Won."

"Have you hand encounters with Lugans before?"

"I've been working with them for this job."

"I meant before this."

"Why should I answer that?"

"Because I knew a person from Shi Won as well who had white hair. He was part of something called a Gen tribe. A Gen is a person who can perform little tricks and wander from city to city. However, the people of Shi Won ended up lynching the family because they were different."

Rajura openly glared at the unknown.

"As I recall, one of the children that lived and became a beggar and thief."

"And what would that have to do with me?" Rajura growled, his disguised hair almost standing on end. The mighty Badamon would have some serious explaining to do about this unknown. That blue-skinned freak must know more about this living surprise box than he was telling, and Rajura promised himself he'd find out what it was. Any more surprises, and this trial would fall to Kaosu's will instead of Arago-sama's. _That_ would not be allowed.

"As I recall, the poor young Gen beggar was chased by some drunken Lugans one day."

Those eyes were downright unnerving!

"The Gen lost his eye to a Lugan knife. Don't you think that someone like that would hold a grudge against Lugans? Maybe even go so far as to set up one of the most famous Lugans around, like Shuu-san here?"

Rajura let out a growl, but did nothing. His emotions were clouding his normally clear judgment. He couldn't think of a decent response for this clever raven-haired upstart.

"O-sama," the unknown turned to the king. "May I question my associates? We've heard the loyal Shuten's arguments. I would like the opportunity for my friends to defend themselves."

"I don't see a problem with it."

Shuten sat back and watched each of the prisoners defend themselves with pretty speeches that were drenched in honesty. The light long-ear gave a long dissertation on how he was handpicked and what that means for an elf, as well as what that meant for humans. Specifically that Touma was given an honest and trustworthy emissary.

The Lugan merely walked over to the mercs and asked what his reputation was. They all answered that he was the only mercenary who needed to know what he was being hired for and why instead of just stampeding through the enemy looking for the gold at the end of the battlefield.

Shin-sir talked politely and eloquently, quoting Kaosu's teachings and explaining. Though that hardly vindicated him, it certainly put on a better impression than his outburst the previous day did. After that, he explained that he couldn't he couldn't have done anything if he had been in the Outlet since he was assigned there almost two years ago. That priest ended his defense by asking the king if he had at all lied. Of course, he hadn't.

However, the worst was Touma. All he did was talk to his uncle as if nobody else was in the room, which lead to some rather loud arguments, but the letch of a king seemed reassured that his nephew was the same nephew he knew, and not the concocted version that Shuten had created.

Curse Badamon for not giving them proper warning. Shuten's entire case had been turned upside-down and inside out. The only evidence he had left was his doctored paperwork.

The unknown stepped forward.

"I thank you, O-sama, for giving my fiends the chance to defend themselves."

"And what of you?" the old king answered. "You have yet to try and defend yourself."

"If you insist, O-sama." The unknown bowed and reached into his shirt, pulling out a piece of paper. "The only thing I have been unable to refute is the documentation that Touma-sama was a gambler. However, I believe it to be false, and this paper should prove that I am credible." He handed the king the paper.

Immediately the king paled. "Do you realize what this paper is?"

The unknown bowed again. "Indeed I do, O-sama. I was there when it was drafted."

Shuten cursed, as the king said the unknown's name that he could never hear.

". . . , I should have noticed. There's a very good reason why that name isn't used very much anymore."

"It was actually quite common when I was born."

"You have given me a great deal to think about. I will deliver my judgment tomorrow."

_Good_, Shuten thought to himself. He still had time to convince the dirty king that these prisoners should be killed for treason. But he'd have to work hard and fast. Shuten stood to follow the king out of the chamber.

The unknown stood in his way, his hand extended. He spoke in a quiet voice.

"Kouma."

Shuten winced. His parents had named him after the city he was born in, much like Touma. At least his suspicions were confirmed. This unknown was the one he had seen years ago, so of course he would know his name.

"You did a fine job in this trial. I hope that sometime in the future, we can be friends."

Shuten slapped the unknown's hand away. "I do not intend to make friends with my enemy," he replied, louder than he had intended.

The unknown offered another polite bow. "I hope that you will someday see that we do not need to be enemies." He turned and returned to the other prisoners.

Shuten fumed.

_Snap out of it!_ Rajura's voice yelled in his mind. _Convince that queer king that they should be in jail now!_

_It's too late, you moron! That unknown sidetracked me enough so that the king is probably locked in his room now! Once that happens, nobody, not even me, can talk to him!_

Several profanities were his reply.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Touma waited in the conference room with everyone else for his uncle. The past two days had certainly been rather surprising. First the bizarre charges against him and his friends, then Shuten's persecution, which was extremely thorough and convincing, then finding out that Ryo was a graduate of Hashiba university, and to top it all off was Ryo's defense. He didn't disprove anything, though his uncle seemed to think otherwise.

However, by far the worst realization was that there was even something like the Oni mark. How could a ruler even use such a cruel punishment? And why? Just because someone didn't put money into the Hashiban treasuries? That was hardly fair or even right. What if he had to do something like that? He'd never be able to forgive himself. Did previous kings feel the same way when they used it? Or did they merely pass the mark onto a family without a second thought?

The way the government of Hashiba was set up meant that the king was responsible for _every_thing. How did his uncle even sleep at night?

Never mind. Touma didn't want to go there.

He let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his blue hair.

His uncle _had_ to see that this was all a setup, even if everyone involved was telling the truth.

Shuten entered the room, looking incredibly calm for someone who lost almost all of his proof the previous day to Ryo's brilliant, if confusing, defense.

"Prisoners," Shuten, an almost sly grin appearing on his face, "the king is ready to give you his judgment. Rise and meet it."

Shuten walked over to the chair he had been using. Touma's ears sharpened. For the first time, he noticed something. Shuten Doji didn't walk with the thudding steps of someone who had been raised to aid the king. His steps were silent and soft, like someone who had been running his entire life.

The Oni.

Ryo had mentioned that he knew of someone who had survived an Oni massacre and survived with the mark. Someone who worked close with the king every day. And Ryo had been holding his eyes on Shuten. It was subtle, but the look in his eyes the previous day had bothered Touma. Now he knew why. Ryo had sorrow in his eyes as he watched Shuten and told his story about the Oni. The Oni was _Shuten_! That meant that it was _Shuten_ who had trumped up the charges, and most likely been diverting the funds for _his_ gambling habit.

Kitsune always did like risks.

If his uncle was anywhere near as brilliant as he could often be, he would have picked up on that.

Touma hoped.

His uncle stepped out and went to the throne, his eyes with dark circles under them. Touma knew what that meant. His uncle had been awake all night, which wasn't very healthy for Tenkuu, who normally needed a great of sleep. That meant his uncle wasn't convinced in either direction.

Touma inwardly groaned. Why couldn't his uncle see the truth in front of him?

"I would first like to thank both Shuten and Ryo for making a very interesting case. I don't think the Hashiban courts have ever had such a well-fought disagreement. However, the downside of both sides having such skilled practitioners of law, is that very little evidence is left standing for me to judge on."

The king of Hashiba took a deep breath. "I find that the witnesses are all telling the truth, therefore, their testimony can no longer be held viable."

Shin gasped.

"The mercenaries were merely paid and did their job. While it was not a reasonable job, I judge that they are no longer welcome in Hashiba and shall be escorted to the Lugan border."

Shuu smiled.

"If there has been any conspiracy, I would normally judge that Seiji-san would not take part in something like this because he is an elf. However, I can no longer count testimony, so he must be grouped with the others that he has associated himself with."

Seiji stiffened.

"Therefore, my judgment on the four of you who came to my country and my capital, with my nephew, must be based on only one thing. Paper. The leading invention of our country."

The king held out two documents.

"Ryo, I understand what this paper is, and I believe that you are who you say you are. However, I cannot judge your character based on your reputation alone. So this paper, which I will return to you, does not prove you to be believable."

"I understand, O-sama," Ryo replied.

"That only leaves one piece of paper. The documentation that you, Touma, have diverted funds for gambling purposes."

Touma cast a sidelong glare to Shuten. That cursed Kitsune was _not_ going to get away with this. Even if what Ryo had said about his family was true, Shuten, as a citizen of Hashiba, had to understand that the Oni mark must have been a last resort. It _must_ have been. Touma didn't think that his grandfather could really do something so cruel without second thoughts and trying all other options.

"Touma, you will be grounded until your coronation, and I will have some of my best guards with you at all time, so as to prevent any more gambling.

"To the rest of you, I will be generous and permit you all to stay in the dungeon until you die."

Everyone but Ryo gasped.

Shuten stood, "Surely, my king, for your safety, we must execute them for high treason!"

"Shuten," the king said, leveling his eyes toward the card Kitsune. "Are you disobeying a direct order from me?"

"No, my king."

"Good. The reason I am being so generous is because nobody proved anything in this trial. However, a king cannot take chances with his life."

Touma groaned. His uncle was being too blind.

* * *

Seiji was going to go insane.

He sat in his cell, oblivious to everything else around him. He was going to go insane. Seiji was certain of this one fact. It pressed upon him as he stared out of his barred cell door and taunted him. Somewhere along the way, Seiji was convinced that the O-sama of Hashiba wanted to make Seiji's punishment even harsher than the other three. Perhaps it was because the king thought that Seiji had betrayed a trust as elfin emissary to the Hashiban crown. Perhaps it was because he did not like elves. But he managed to put Seiji in a place where he would slowly go insane.

Why was Seiji convinced of this?

Because he must have deliberately been put in the only cell of the entire dungeon that did not have a window, and subsequently, no direct sunlight. The thick walls on either side of and behind Seiji prevented any sunlight from the adjoining cells to seep into his. And to make matters worse, the empty cell across from him held the full afternoon sun, spilling even into the dungeon hall.

But, of course, it was just out of Seiji's reach.

Seiji had, essentially, gone for three days without direct sunlight upon his person. He could feel his entire body almost writhing in that sole fact. Seiji's mind obsessed about the fact that he had no sun, and had had no sun for the three days that he had been imprisoned. Was he imagining things, or was his skin getting pale? He was certain that he had lost weight. He could only imagine how he must have appeared. How could humans come up with such a cruel punishment? As if confinement wasn't bad enough, they had the creativity to come up with confinement without light.

He glared at the light in front of him, the sunlight that was just out of his reach.

Seiji was convinced that he would eventually go insane.

The light elf tried to take comfort in the fact that he was not the only one suffering. He did not think that Shin's mouth closed once since their cell doors closed. The shock of the Hashiban justice system failing to vindicate them from the false charges had not yet faded away, and the poor sir was left thinking, sometimes out loud and sometimes to his mercenary friend, about the events of the trial and how things could have gone differently. Shin also prayed to Kaosu several times to help guide him in how to deal with the wrong done to him.

Shuu also was not happy. Seiji could sometimes hear the powerful soldier throw a fist or boot into an unoffending wall, normally followed by a string of finer curse words. While used to being in jail, his reputation was now ruined, and it irked him to no end.

Ryo, however, had said and done nothing since their confinement. Seiji had no idea whether the mysterious red clad priest had disappeared or perhaps killed himself. Doubting both, Seiji found himself furious at the blue eyed man. He took things in stride much too easily. He should have been as furious as the others.

Seiji looked out to the late afternoon sun, its light cast from the window of the cell opposite him and still out of reach. He wanted to bathe in that sunlight. Now.

He was going to go insane if he didn't connect with the sun.

"Well," said Ryo's voice to Seiji's right. "I think that's about long enough."

Seiji's ears perked, and he found his whole body listening. Was he getting desperate for escape, or did he hear a particular shifting in Ryo's cell? His eyes remained locked on the last streams of sunlight, but he strained his ears to confirm what he thought he heard.

Well-worn red boots appeared before him, and a shadow fell onto the light elf. Eyes wide, Seiji looked up to see Ryo, the red priest, standing in front of his cell, keys in hand.

He was also blocking what little sunlight was left; and he was also bearing a rather proud grin. Both facts grated on the Korin elf's nerves, but he managed to say nothing as Ryo calmly picked through the keys before finding one and opening Seiji's cell.

He debated for only a moment on what to do first with his new-found freedom. Seiji immediately crossed over into the other cell and held his face to the window, bathing in the last moments of the evening sun before it set completely.

"Ryo!"

"Ryo! You're free! What-?"

"Shhh," came the soft reply. "We have to be quiet." There was more clinking and clanking of keys and dungeon cells, but Seiji cared little for it as he continued to bask in the red rays of the setting sun.

"Where's Seiji?" Shuu asked.

"How in the Gods' name did you get out?" Shin asked.

"Seiji will be here shortly. He's still in a cell."

"You haven't freed him?"

"No," Ryo replied. "He needs to do something."

"Call of nature?" Shuu asked.

"More like elfin nature," Ryo said slowly.

A moment later the sun set completely, and Seiji left the cell feeling much more refilled and much saner than he could remember in recent days. He took a deep breath and was actually grinning when he joined the other three.

"Better?" Ryo asked. "I would have let us out sooner, but we needed the time for certain things to die down."

Seiji nodded. "I appreciate you consideration," he said sincerely. Ryo was the first human to treat Seiji like an elf. He found he liked it.

"What took you so long?" asked Shuu. Shin also had a questioning gaze.

"I was regaining my sanity," Seiji said quickly. "How do we get out of here?"

"We can't do that!" Shin said, suddenly wide eyed. "Escaping will make us look guilty."

"Shin," Shuu replied, running a gloved hand through his ash hair, "They already think we're guilty. This won't change their opinions much. Besides," he added. "How are we gonna prove our innocence from the wrong side of a cell door?"

Shin nodded, not happy with the idea.

"First," Ryo said. "We have to pick up Touma. Remember to be quiet!" he added in a hoarse whisper when he saw the objections about to be raised. "It won't be as hard as you think, and we NEED him as part of the . . . quest we're undergoing. Besides, he doesn't deserve what was dealt him any more than you."

Shuu nodded, followed soon after by Shin. Seiji withheld his judgment. From what he had seen of the misplaced prince, he was not sure if he liked the young man. But, then, many people thought the same thing about elves after trying to talk to one. Ryo lead the way down the hall to the far end of the dungeon where a door was. Ryo took point, often making the other three wait as he disappeared to take care of a guard or passing noblemen.

"Come on," he whispered at one point. "We're almost there."

"What are you doing?" Seiji asked in a low voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Do not play stupid. I am a Korin elf. I can always sense people, especially people I know. But when you disappear, you disappear! I cannot find you."

Ryo retuned a nervous grin. "Aaah. That would take some explaining; which I think will be happening in a few minutes anyway, if I'm reading things right. If I don't get around to it tonight, I'll explain it when we get out of here."

Their conversation paused as another guard approached them. Ryo dealt with him and returned quickly. "We're almost there," he said again.

"So you'll actually answer questions after we get out of here?" Shuu asked. "No more dodging or putting things off?"

"I'm starting to get a good feel for this," Ryo explained as they turned down another hallway and up a stairwell. "I think you all are ready to hear some things. Probably not everything, but definitely some things."

"I'm glad," Shin said quietly. "How far now?"

Ryo stopped, almost causing the other three behind him to run into him. "We're here," he whispered. Peeking his head around a corner, he then faced his three comrades. "There are two guards at the door, and probably two more inside. The trick I've been using so far won't work as well here. Seiji, Shuu, can you two fight quietly?"

Seiji gave a stout nod. "Of course."

Shuu put his hand behind his head. "Er. How quiet is quiet? I can sneak okay, but I've never been that great at FIGHTING quietly."

Ryo nodded. "Then it's up to Seiji. Get those two knocked out if you can, then knock on the door and say that there's food. That should get them to open up. The rest is easy."

"Fine."

Seiji poked his head around the corner, examining what was in front of him. There were indeed two guards, one on either side of an ornate-and gaudy-door. Both held staffs and bows. Candles had been lit, but the halls were still dim without the sun to light the interspersed windows. However, it was not dim enough for the pale, blond, Seiji to sneak up. So he would rely on his speed.

Taking a deep breath, Seiji readied himself, then took off at a dead run. He covered the space between him and the guards in seconds. The first he hit in the back of the head, knocking him out. The second was able to elicit a shocked gasp before Seiji hit him in the stomach, forcing the air out of him. Both collapsed to the ground with soft thuds.

The light elf waited for a tense moment, his body ready to move if the guards inside decided to look around. For a moment, he wished he still had his sword. There was nothing, however, so Seiji proceeded as Ryo had told him. He knocked on the door.

"Yeah?"

"More food for Touma-sama," Seiji said calmly.

"I thought dinner was already sent up?" came the muffled reply.

"It was," Seiji said, thinking quickly. He remembered the crowd that had gathered when they had first arrived in Tou Hashiba. "The cooks felt sorry for him and made him his favorites."

"I was wondering when one of them would do that," came a different voice. Undoubtedly the second guard.

Seiji prepared himself as the door opened, involuntarily gripping for a sword that was not at his side. The guard's eyes widened when he saw the imprisoned Korin elf standing before him, but did not have time to cry out as said elf promptly knocked him out.

"Hey, what-?" The second guard, younger and obviously more inexperienced, also went down quickly.

Touma's room was comparatively small to some of the other "rooms" Seiji had seen when he was first given a tour of the castle. It had stone walls, of course, with delicate tapestries that were at the same time simple and elegant. The prince had much different taste than the flashy and sometimes gaudy style of other Hashibans. There was a bed, Seiji could see, in a separate chamber, filled with blankets and pillows. A gaming table lay empty and dusty to one side, a large couch and settee were in the room he was in. Touma sat on the couch, his eyes wide in shock.

"What the blazes are you doing here?"

"Sh!" Seiji answered. He stepped out of the room pausing only to wave that it was safe, before he dragged the two outside guards in. "Do you have rope to tie them?" he asked. Seiji doubted that they would wake up until morning, but one never took chances.

"How the heck should I know? What are you doing here? You're making things even worse! Escape makes you look guilty; dragging me along makes ME look guilty! I'm in enough trouble as it is! Get out of here!"

Seiji bristled but said nothing as Ryo, Shin, and Shuu made their way into Touma's room.

"I knew elves were quiet, but Seiji, you take the cake!" Shuu said, his voice slowly rising to a more normal volume. "If I wasn't watching, I would have sworn nothing happened."

Seiji offered a small grin, pleased with the complement.

"Touma," Shin said. "Are you alright?"

"I am NOT alright!" the blue haired prince shouted, standing. "I haven't been 'alright' since I met you people! You've all ruined my life!"

"Touma . . ."

"Don't you dare try to turn this around!" he said angrily. The prince's blue eyes flashed. It was the first time any of them had seen Touma so angry. "It's bad enough that uncle decided I was going to be the heir. It's bad enough he catches me every time I try to run away. After all this, now uncle doesn't even trust me anymore! He's lost faith in me because of you and those trumped up charges. Now I'm under constant surveillance, surrounded by guards and tutors and noblemen. Every single one of them has orders to report back to uncle if I do anything the least bit suspicious. It's worse that being trapped in your dungeon! This is all your fault! Look at what you're putting me through!"

Shin and Shuu stared at Touma dumbly, neither one knowing what to say to assuage the prince. Ryo looked slightly surprised, as if he was not expecting this.

Seiji, however, was furious. He stepped over to the fuming Touma and slammed his fist into the blue haired prince's face. So caught up in his rant, the prince did not see it coming, and fell back into the couch.

"Yami spawn!" he cursed. "You have the audacity to think that this is our doing? Were we the cause of your troubles, do you think we would be locked in a dungeon, that I would deprive myself of the sun for so many days? Surely you are not so self-absorbed and shallow minded that you do not realize the source of your troubles is that cursed Kitsune Shuten? If you must wallow in anger and self-pity, direct it at the problem at hand, not us! By Kaosu, we were on trial the same as you!"

Seiji said no more, but he continued to seethe. He had been hand-picked by his grandfather to be the emissary of the Hashiban prince. It was bad enough when he learned that the young man ran away from his problems. He was able to deal with that. But to deny his own responsibility and blame everyone but him for his own failings! How un-elf like.

"You're right, Seiji," Touma replied. "I'm not an elf. I have problems, I don't doubt that! But this isn't my fault!"

Seiji glared at Touma. He continually ran away from his problems, leaving the O-sama to wonder what his nephew was doing and who he was associating with. O-sama must have worried constantly about Touma's well-being. It was easy to have Shuten concoct the gambling charges if Touma's uncle did not know what the boy did when he was away!

Touma blinked, the anger draining from him. "I never thought of it that way."

Well that was fairly obvious. Seiji sighed. Touma was so intent on his own problems he could not see the ones he was causing his uncle the king.

"Hey, I feel bad as it is! Don't make it worse!"

"Excuse me," Shin said. The prince and the elf looked to the priest.

Shuu said, "Seiji, would you start talkin'? It's a little hard listening to a one sided conversation."

"What are you talking about?" the elf asked, not understanding. Touma also looked confused.

"Touma's the only one, er, talking," Shin supplied.

"What?"

Ryo stepped forward, wide eyed. "I take back what I said about being able to read this. Do you two know what you've just been doing?"

"Arguing?"

"Besides that," Ryo said, a grin spreading on his face. "You were starting to open up a mental link."

"A what?" asked Shu, Shin, and Touma. Seiji merely looked on wide eyed.

"They say that the wisest of us can communicate without speaking," he whispered.

"I don't think it works that way," Ryo said. "See . . . oh, boy. This could take a while." The tiger eyed youth paused, trying to gather the right words. "I wasn't prepared for this, curse it. How do I explain it without explaining it?" Ryo paused again, before looking to the four of them. "Think of it this way. I gathered the four of you because you each have special talents, right?"

There came varying replies.

"Some of those talents you have now, some of them you will get as this journey progresses. This is one of them. By the time all of this is over, the five of us should be able to talk to each other without having to actually talk. We can do it all mentally."

"What good would that do?" Touma asked.

"We would be able to talk over great distances if we were ever separated, and if we needed to keep a low profile we could talk about whatever we wanted without anyone arising suspicion."

"But what does this have to do with now?" Shuu asked.

"Nothing," Ryo replied, causing a few people to face fault. "I just wasn't expecting it to happen so soon."

"Is there anything ELSE you would like to bestow upon us?" Shin demanded.

"Touma-kun," came a voice from the door. "Your two guards aren't here. Did you bring them in to-aaah?"

"O-sama," Ryo said calmly, finally back into things he could expect.

"Touma!" the king looked to his nephew. "You let them out! Just how big is your debt that you have to free them? What have they threatened you with? My health?" He turned to the other four. "You can kill me if you want, but that won't change anything! My people will hunt you down and make sure you get justice bestowed upon you!"

Ryo burst out laughing. The other four, not at all sure how to react to anything at this point, just sort of gaped as he continued to guffaw.

"I'm sorry," the red clad man said after a while. "It's just that I can't picture anyone in the room killing anyone. The picture I have in my mind!" Ryo suddenly went into more peals of laughter. "Okay, okay," he said finally, straightening up and looking to the king with surprisingly serious eyes, the sudden change of nature unnerving. "O-sama, killing you was never part of the plan. In fact, there was never a plan to begin with. It, the documentation, the witnesses, and the stories were all doctored by your advisor, the Oni Shuten Doji, formerly Kouma Toshitada-"

The king's eyes widened at the name.

"-and his accomplice, whom I pointed out to you at our trial."

"The money trail is hard to duplicate," the king said slowly. "Assuming you are right, how would Shuten be able to do it?"

"He's a Kitsune, O-sama," Ryo replied. "His father was a casino owner, and he's been working in and out of them for years now. He knows all about document tracing and paper trails. It was probably easy to get copies of the form and fill them out the way he wanted."

"And the eye witnesses?"

"That was the result of his partner. The partner snuck into the detachment and, er, supplied illusions that were easy to believe. But I'm wasting time here. Shuten's friends will be arriving here any day now, and we need to get a moving. The diversity of our group is essential for the quest that we're on, and Touma's part of this group. He has been since he wandered into the Outlet's Temple Tent. He HAS to come with us."

Hashiba-O-sama shook his head, as if the king wanted to deny what his ears were telling him. "It can't be true. Shuten is my best advisor. He's been with me for over a year now-"

"Which is precisely when he and his three companions filtered here from beyond the Lugan mountains. All of them have some very specific plans once they knew the game had started, and some of their plans required a great deal of planning," Ryo explained, trying to keep his voice patient. "I've been keeping an eye on all of them since they entered. Shuten posed no threat to you at the time, so I let him go about his business. Besides, Kayura-sama told me it was against the rules."

There were suddenly several face-faults.

"Wait, wait!" Shin cried out. "You've been in contact with Kayura-sama? How can that be? I thought she was the most reclusive of the three gods."

"She's hardly reclusive," Ryo answered, surprised at such a comment. "She's actually very loud and bossy and can sometimes be downright smug. She doesn't act like a goddess at all, not like Arago-baka or my master, so most people don't realize who they're talking to." Ryo suddenly smiled. "I think she does that deliberately."

Shuu blinked. "You act like you and her are old friends."

Ryo nodded. "We are. Every century or so she invites me over for tea."

More face-faults erupted in Touma's room.

Touma was the first to get up, his face bright with thought. "Arago-baka? The familiarity of Kayura?" He looked at Ryo, as if seeing the young man for the first time. "Wearing fire red, with smoke colored hair, and the eyes of a tiger?"

Ryo gave a wide grin. "You finally figured out that I AM Sanada Ryo?"

"Sanada Ryo wasn't just some kind of alias. You have a master because you've been serving him for centuries. You're THE Sanada Ryo! The fire wielding maho swordsman of Kaosu!"

Everyone gasped.

Then everyone face-faulted. Again.

"The first and only disciple of Kaosu-sama?" Shin proclaimed. "The mighty red priest that could disappear and reappear with a thought, who killed entire armies in the Fifty Year War?"

Ryo blinked. "I never took part in the War. I had a different assignment at the time; and I can hardly disappear. I do use maho though."

Shuu and Seiji were smart and kept their mouths shut. Neither was really sure they wanted their respective mental images of the mighty Sanada Ryo replaced by this non-intimidating, soft eyed Sir wanna-be. Ryo tried to calm down the others, almost wincing at bits and pieces of his reputation.

"If you would all just quiet down . . ." Ryo backed away from the sudden crowd of the four troopers and the king. "The king already knows why I'm here and why I gathered all of you."

"The document?" Touma asked suspiciously.

"I showed you our copy once," the O-sama explained. "It was a paper written by our first queen, the Tenkuu Sora-Ao. It was her acknowledgement of the god Kaosu-sama as her leader in all things spiritual, and that a tiger eyed disciple would make himself known when the Jewel was stolen, thus beginning the game."

"The jewel?" Shuu asked.

Touma's eyes were wide as his mind started placing all the pieces together. "The Inochi no Madatama, one of the three Gifts of the Gods."

"This is too much," Shin said, putting a hand to his head. Shuu was making similar gestures. "Ryo is actually Ryo-sama? The Inochi no Madatama? Gods, wars, calamities? What else is going to be dropped on us?"

"Quite a bit," Ryo said softly as he eyed the priest. "But I'd rather save the rest of this conversation for when we're all safely out of Tou Hashiba and on our way to the Korin Forests. Shuten isn't the only one, you know. There are three others. One's already here and the other two will be here within a few days. I want to put some distance between us and them before they find out we've escaped." Ryo turned to the king, his blue eyes serious. "O-sama. Touma HAS to come with us. You've seen how important he is just now. His intelligence and ability to catch on will be a great asset on our journey. He MUST come."

Touma looked to the king. "Uncle?"

There was a long moment of silence.

"Uncle?"

"Alright. You can go."

Ryo clapped his hands once. "Good. Then we have to get moving now. Shuu, find our weapons and bring them out to the stables. Seiji, get the horses ready. Shin, see if you can get any food and supplies; I'm sure O-sama will show you where. Touma, get anything you need and say goodbye to your uncle. You're likely not to see him for at least a year. Maybe more."

Following orders, the five went their separate ways and prepared to disappear into the night.


	7. Tou Hashiba 06

Rajura couldn't decide to be happy or sad as he listened in Touma's room as one of the "unconscious" guards. On the one hand, Shuten had failed. That was good because it gave Rajura a chance to get in better graces with Arago-sama. Conversely, the five had escaped and had the king of Hashiba in their back pocket. That didn't bode well for them. Still, Shuten had to be discovered and would be chased out of Hashiba as the Oni he was. That thought alone gave Rajura all sorts of happy feelings. But he had just contacted the snake and scarred long-ear, which meant that they were all in Tou Hashiba any chance of him actually doing something on his own to please Arago-sama was now gone. To top it all off, because of Shuten's foul up they all had to leave before they got a chance to do anything.

Emotion decided upon, Rajura became furious. He angrily called upon his unwanted cohorts.

_Shuten! You idiot! The king now knows about you and is ordering people to find you!_

_He_ what_?_ Shuten replied, shocked.

_Kitsune!_ the long-ear growled, _we can't do anything now because of you!_

The snake joined in the spree. _You fool! You never could do anything right! Our horses are almost dead because of the ride up here, and now we have to run for it! You're paying for new horses! Ours can't take any more!_

Shuten grumbled for a long time, saying something about the Sthissian's relations with animals.

_Kitsune no Oni!_

_Half-Breed!_

_Enough names-calling, you brats!_ That was Badamon. Why did he always have to interrupt when things got interesting?

_You idiots!_ Badamon continued.

_Now wait a minute_, Rajura replied in frustration. _You never told us that the unknown was actually_ Sanada Ryo_, oh mighty-Badamon-sama! How in the name of Arago-sama are we supposed to deal with him?_

There were several gasps.

_Sanada Ryo? The light's favored disciple?_

_The aide of those cursed Kaosan priests?_

_Is that how he knew about my family?_

Badamon let out a string of grumbles. _I already told you that!_

Four angry, frustrated, livid followers of Arago disagreed. Loudly.

_Will you children shut up and listen to your superior?_

_My only superior is divinity, and I don't even believe in that!_ the snake replied. _What good has some god ever done me?_

_If you say so,_ Badamon answered smugly. There was slight pause before the Sthissian's connection was painfully cut off from the others.

The dark long ear set out a long string of Elvin cuss words. _What did you do to him? He's convulsing! He's no good to us in this condition!_

Shuten and Rajura stayed silent.

_If he chooses to question Arago-sama, this is his punishment._ Curse it, Badamon had to sound so cocky. _When all of you agreed to follow Arago-sama, you knew that you would have to follow him unquestioningly. However, that snake doesn't seem to believe in our cause completely._

A long period of silence fell as Badamon's words sunk in. Rajura scowled under his illusion. This meant he'd have to work even harder to get Arago-sama's favor. If he had the favor, then he wouldn't have to worry about whatever the snake was going through. But how could he do it? It was Sanada Ryo who was leading the group. That meant that Kaosu would likely intervene if he deemed it necessary, putting him in a dangerous situation.

_That two-tongued snake won't sustain any permanent damage_, Badamon finally continued. _Now will you all kindly listen to my orders, or should I inform Arago-sama of how poorly you are all doing?_

Silence was his reply.

_Good. Now then, I want all of you to travel together and follow them at a discreet distance._

The dark long ear protested, if mildly, saying, _Is it not better that we get them here, off their guard, before they know of our presence?_

_Oh sure,_ Shuten replied. _And get caught by Hashiban officials? Brilliant._

The elf grumbled about preferring confrontations to sneaking.

* * *

Ryo continued to lead everyone down muddy unused paths and across wide farming fields. The last thing he wanted was Arago-baka's followers catching up to them, and if they couldn't find him easily, well what a shame for them. He inwardly winced at his line of thinking. That wasn't fair to the four following the dark god. They had all had very difficult lives and were ripe for that blue-skinned so-called disciple of Arago-baka to take them. He should have been able to do more to help them in their hard lives.

Ryo shook his head. Thinking like that wouldn't get them to where they needed any faster. He glanced at his four friends, four of the chosen ones. Seiji was standing on his horse as they crossed a cornfield to get to a creek. Their horses needed watering. The Korin elf was trying to make up for all the sunlight he had missed while incarcerated. Though the others gave him weird looks, they were wise enough to let it be. If they knew enough to be quiet, they might do alright in their next destination. Come to think of it, he hadn't been preparing them for that. He really should get back to that.

Perfect timing! They had just come across the creek.

"Hey everyone," Ryo said, stopping the pack horses, "I think our friends here need some watering."

"Good eyes," Shuu chuckled. "For someone who doesn't ride," he added in jest.

Ryo chuckled, pulling off several canteens to fill them upstream of the horses. "I think I keep up with you guys pretty well."

"Yes," Shin agreed, filling his canteen and taking a long drink. "You have a remarkable stamina to be able to walk with horses all day."

Touma ran a hand through his horse's mane as it drank. "But what would happen if we needed to run? Your maho can't make you keep up with horses, can it?"

"No," Ryo answered, "not my maho. But I get where I need to be."

Seiji spoke for the first time since the morning sun rose, "You're getting cryptic again."

Ryo offered a bright smile. "You all have had a lot saddled on you with realizing that I'm the Sanada Ryo of legend, let alone the fact the legends aren't exactly true. The last thing I should be doing is confusing and surprising you even more."

The four let out a collective sigh. Ryo inwardly scolded himself. That had sounded rather cold.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Please understand that I've basically had to work by myself for a long time. When I do work with people, they usually don't know who I am, or if they do, I suddenly become some sort of worshiped all-knowing being. I'm not really accustomed to working with people who actually know who I am and will accept me for me. I don't really want to shake you any more than I already have."

Shin came over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Ryo, you can trust us more than you realize. We've only been together for a month, but we've already been through a lot together."

"He's right," Shuu agreed, draping an arm around both of them. "You need us to help you get the Jewel back, so we'll help. I was getting bored with normal merc work anyway. It might be nice to see how a god will pay me."

"Shuu!" scolded Shin.

Seiji walked over to them. "Trust goes both ways. If you want us to trust you, you have to trust us. It helps that you have explained that you're trying to be considerate to us, but you can't evade things like this forever."

"I'll try to be more aware of that," Ryo answered. Their closeness was a good sign. They were all going to work well together, which was a very good thing, especially considering that Ryo was willing to lay odds that Arago-baka had some very cruel things in mind for them. The tiger-eyed disciple hoped that he'd be able to aide his friends when that happened. And he knew that Arago-baka would make it happen. Just as he had made so many other things happen.

Ryo finished filling his canteen and smiled to his friends, four of the chosen. "So, Seiji," he started, "do you think we're ready to enter Daasa Laska yet?"

Seiji almost landed face-first into the creek. "We're headed to the Korin Daasa Laska!"

"Isn't that rather presumptuous of us?" Shin added.

Shuu looked back and forth, confused.

Touma's mind started to fit things together. "You're being very proper about this," he said. "You're actually going to ask the High Elder to borrow Seiji for this mission of yours?"

Ryo nodded. "That's why, back before we even entered Tou Hashiba; I discussed elves with you. Unfortunately, we got a little side tracked by Shuten putting us on trial."

"I can't lead four _humans_ to Daasa Laska!" Seiji erupted. "That's forbidden! It's never been done before! Once humans enter Daasa Laska, other humans follow! We'll have a war on our hands!"

"Hey," Shuu said, lightly putting his hand on the infuriated elf's shoulder, "I think it's safe to say we'll be discreet."

"That's not the point! I'll be dishonored!"

"Ouch," Touma stated. "That's harsh for an elf."

Shin nodded in agreement. "It's as bad as a human getting cast out of his temple."

Ryo, however, was quite pleased with Seiji's reaction. "Seiji, you're finally making progress," he stated, finished filling the canteens and strapped them to the horses, which were almost done drinking.

"And what is that supposed to mean," Seiji muttered, barely controlling his anger.

"All four of you have aspects of yourself that will probably go through monumental changes during this quest. I have a rough idea on what they all are. For you, Seiji, it's this. As an elf, you're taught how to hold your emotions in. But I'm willing to guess that Arago-baka will try to use that against you. By showing your anger, like you are now, you're making the first step in expressing yourself more."

To this, Seiji said nothing, but angrily climbed back on his horse, letting it start to take him down the creek, leaving the others to scramble to get on their horses and catch up to him.

* * *

The following day, Shin was rubbing his neck, looking at the light elf that had remained quiet since Ryo had been so blunt the previous day. When the four of them had mentioned that he should be forthcoming in information, that wasn't exactly what they had in mind. From the look of things, Ryo was regretting getting Seiji so angry.

As a monk-sir, Shin had been taught that he had an obligation to help people. Not even as a priest, but also as a thinking being. Kaosu-sama's way was to make all people prosper and be considerate of each other. It wasn't all that different from an elf's way of thinking in that one always thought of other's feelings.

So how could he mend this situation? He was a very good listener, but it wasn't like he could talk to either Ryo or Seiji privately at the moment. Perhaps dealing directly with the situation wasn't best. Shin frowned as he thought. He usually wasn't very good with subtlety, since he was a very open person.

His mind went back to what his mother had once said.

"Shin, your voice could calm the most furious shark, or the most hostile whale."

Well, it was worth a try. What could he sing? He doubted a temple tune would be appropriate. Perhaps something a little more light-hearted. The song Crystal Eyes came to his mind.

“You give me memories  
Countless times, memories locked up  
Eyes like crystal  
I want to believe we'll meet someday.

Silence falls in the blue-green ocean  
I wish your semblance branded on my heart.

I meet with a serious face  
Nothing more to say, us two.

Anyone understands only when they meet  
How long I couldn't forget  
Even if we don't meet again for eternity.

You give me memories  
Even the sparkling summer becomes the tear's color.  
Eyes like crystal  
I'm breathless, seeing that beautiful color.”

As he dropped off the first verse, Shin noticed that Touma was rummaging around his packs, looking for something. Once the priest-sir had started the next verse, he noted that the Tenkuu prince found wanted what he wanted, a biwa, and started to join in. Shuu wasn't far behind, pulling out a small pair of drums. They continued together, entering the third verse. Shin watched Seiji's ears twitch. His voice just might be the trick.

He, Touma, and Shuu closed Crystal Eyes and decided on a Hashiban song that elves might now. He started on the song Kazeiro no Hitomi, and Seiji's ears really twitched. Ryo, who had been observing Seiji all day, walked back to the pack horses and did his own search. Entering the second verse, Ryo walked over to Seiji's gold and white pinto, offering up a sakuhachi. The Korin looked down to Ryo, his face unreadable. Finally, his ears gave a final twitch and he reached down, joining in the song with the hollow soul-reaching sound of the long pipe.

Shin allowed himself a brief moment of pride. Seiji and Ryo seemed to have mended the disagreement they had had, and they had been playing music all day, though the disciple of Kaosu didn't sing well out of his key, nor did he play an instrument. To make matters perfect, there was an absolutely gorgeous sunset. Shin found that he was missing the sea. He had been since he was stationed in the Outlet, but he really wanted to be near water. He grew up on the waves, and it was like taking an extended leave from home.

Seiji's and Shuu's horses interrupted Shin's longing as they rejoined the group. They had gone off to look for a good campsite, and if they returned, that meant they had found one.

"There's a small clearing up ahead," Seiji stated. "It's surrounded by some thick bushes."

"Seiji's got good eyes," the Lugan replied. "I almost missed it. He didn't realize how defendable it was in a pinch though."

"One need only ask the horse to find a place where it would be safe. Mine chose that clearing," the Korin answered.

Shuu grinned. "I try and find something that I can work with, rather than what an animal can work with."

"Humans."

It was a short ride to the clearing. Everyone had to dismount to even get through the bushes into the clearing.

"This will do well," Ryo said, pulling some rope off one of the pack horses. "I'll start to brush down the horses, and then I'll get some dinner ready."

Shin cleared his throat. "Ryo, I know that you've been traveling for a very long time, but might I try my hand at cooking? I'd like to try something different than dried rice and cheese. I saw a stream near here that I could use."

"Okay," the tiger-eyed young man said. "That helps me out since I don't like to rush with the horses."

"You've always been very good with animals," Touma stated. He turned to the monk-sir, "If it's okay with you, Shin, I saw some tracks and I think I might pick off some actual meat." The prince was already stringing his bow and strapping on his quiver.

"Sounds good," Shuu agreed, pulling everything off the pack horses and dropping it onto the ground.

"Don't you know how to organize?" Seiji asked, pulling down the packs and taking out the bedrolls and blankets.

Ryo chuckled, already finishing feeding the horses and starting to brush them down.

Shin smiled as well. In all the time he knew Shuu, the young fighter had never been neat about anything. Shin ducked under the bushes to head to the stream with a pot. The stream was shallow, and Shin walked to the middle of it, dipping the pot into the cold, refreshing liquid. As he walked back to the grass, he noted that there were some fish in the stream. What luck! In a few minutes, the sea-born priest-sir had one fish for everyone.

He headed back to the campsite, very pleased with the menu they'd have tonight. Much better than the bland one they'd been having. He entered the clearing, admiring the gradual forest that they had been entering all day. At the site, Ryo was finishing with the horses and getting ready to start a fire.

"Shuu," Seiji was saying with thin patience, setting up the last bedroll, "because you will not be in a human city, you have to do what I say."

"But you're saying that I'd have to stay bowed, for what, hours? That's not good for anybody! Do you realize the aches and pains we'll have for that?"

"It's common consideration," Ryo stated, stoking the fire. "Since you don't know all the ins and outs of elfin culture, staying bowed while Seiji does all the talking is the best way to go about it."

Shuu didn't like that one bit, it seemed.

Perhaps this was a good point to interrupt. "Good news," Shin smiled. "There was some fish in the stream. They're a little small, but that way, we can save whatever meat Touma can pick off to last longer."

"Food!" Shuu's mouth was already watering.

"Now Shuu," Shin calmly started to decapitate and skin the fish while boiling the water. "They aren't ready to eat yet, so remain on that end of the campsite while I cook."

Shuu huffed and sat down.

"Good." Shin turned to Ryo and Seiji, who sat down by him. "Now what's this I hear about bowing and not getting back up?"

"I am the only elf among us," the light elf repeated, "so I have to do all the talking. The best way for the four of you to be honorable is to bow to the High Elder, whom you will meet, and only get up when I tell you to."

Ryo interjected, "Remember, Seiji, I spent a few hundred years with elves. I can conduct myself very well."

"But my grandfather will not know that."

"You mean he won't recognize the great Sanada Ryo of legend?" a voice grunted.

Everyone turned around to see Touma fighting the brush to drag in what appeared to be a half-grown boar.

"Food!" Shuu repeated.

"If you're so hungry," Touma huffed, "help me skin and prepare him."

Seiji, Shin, and Ryo laughed.

The conversation about elves continued as Shin cooked dinner, using the few vegetables they had taken from Tou Hashiba several days earlier that hadn't gone bad yet. Shuu and Touma preserved the boar so as to last during their journey.

When Shin dished out the meal he had cooked, he wasn't ready for the response he got.

Unanimously, everyone said, "Shin! You're cooking from now on!"

"Um, okay," he replied sheepishly.

Everyone laughed.

"Hey, Ryo?" Everyone looked to blue haired prince. "You seem to know what's in the future. What exactly are we in for?"

In response, the smoke-haired man choked on what he was eating. "You guys never ask easy questions, do you?"

Shin smiled. "Touma does have a point. Do you know what's going to happen?"

Ryo sighed. "No, I don't. I know a few broad generalities, but nothing specific. For example, there are eight chosen ones. What they are chosen for, and what they will do, I don't know. I know who the eight are. Four of them are you. The other four, you will be fighting."

"Oh?" Shuu asked. "Who are we fighting?"

"You already know two of them. One is Toshidata Kouma. You know him as Shuten."

"I thought so," Touma murmured.

"There's also a Gen, a Doko, and a Yami," Seiji stiffened.

"They have a dark spawn with them?" Seiji hissed.

Ryo sighed again. "Anubisu grew up in the boarders. While he was born a dark elf, he despises all elves. He, as well as the others, has lived very a difficult live. I did what I could to help them, but in the end, they were ripe for Arago-baka's disciple to take them."

"The fearsome Badamon," Touma stated.

"Fearsome?" Ryo laughed. "Please. He couldn't intimidate a fly!"

"The blue-skinned demon that does even the smallest wish of the dark god Arago?" Shin asked. "He's not intimidating?"

Rubbing a tear from his eye, Ryo continued to laugh. "Badamon is a coward, never doing his own dirty work. He was deformed by a disease when he was a child, from my understanding, that gave him blue skin. Aside from his odd appearance, he's hardly fearsome." The young-looking disciple continued to guffaw.

"It appears you know him quite well," Seiji surmised.

Taking several deep breaths to calm himself, Ryo nodded. "I first met him back when I was a new disciple." He stroked more tears from his eyes, and then stoked the fire. "Way back, Arago-baka decided to break the rules that Kayura-sama had so painstakingly made. He did so by kidnapping her. Needless to say, my master was furious. Unfortunately, though, I had only just become his disciple. I needed a lot of work. Badamon had already had all his training and was quite proficient." Ryo paused, still trying to quiet his laughter. "So my master called upon this side of the mountains to try and buy some time. This was the start of the Fifty Year War."

"Is _that_ why all that chaos started?" Touma asked. "The history books were never very clear on it."

"Undoubtedly," answered Shin, "because not many people knew of Kayura-sama back then. If I am correct, it was only after that war that people started to settle in Luga and follow her."

"Yup," Ryo continued. "It was also the start of the separation between light and dark elves."

Seiji raised an eyebrow. "Korin and Yami have always been separate."

"No," the red clad disciple stated, "it was only after the war that the elves started to separate. Anyway, we can talk history at a different time. So towards the end of the Fifty Year War, I had finally gotten far enough in my training to hold on my own. I was hardly ready, but I had enough chances to survive by that point."

"How long does it take to train anyway?" Shuu asked.

"It took me several centuries, because I didn't exactly have a tutor to help me. Things work differently for me than they did for my master, so he had trouble telling me how things worked," Ryo explained. "In any case, I went over to Arago-baka's temple to get Kayura back. I snuck into his temple, but everyone was off fighting in the war. I only came across one man, who went down in one punch. I got Kayura-sama and brought her back to her mountain in Luga. She wasn't really herself, so I went back to my master to see if I could help her."

Ryo's laughter started to get the better of him, but he pressed on. "When I got back to my masters' Keep, I found him doing something he normally doesn't do. He was laughing."

Several jaws dropped. A god could laugh? Who had ever heard of such a thing!

"I'm afraid to ask," Shin started, "But why was Kaosu-sama laughing?"

Ryo's guffaws continued. "All he said was that the 'fearsome' Badamon had a glass jaw! The guy I took down in one punch was Badamon!"

All seriousness that had remained around the campfire completely disappeared as everyone fell into fits of laughter.

* * *

It was raining.

Anubisu had cursed vehemently when the little drops of water had started to fall, shouting something about losing the trail. Naaza knew little about tracking. He was a city boy first, and the Sthissthian jungle was hardly one for following tracks. He knew for a fact Shuten knew nothing about tracking, not from the paved streets of Hashiba, and he doubted the Gen did, either. So it was unanimously decided that the Yami would follow the Troopers, as the nickname had come about, and lead them to wherever they were headed. Naaza personally didn't understand why they didn't just slaughter them in their sleep, but nooooo. Badamon-_sama_ had to have them all follow the Troopers, only keeping a safe distance from them. Snake dung.

Naaza listened as Anubisu continued to curse as he led the other three through the muddy fields. Apparently, the tracks were starting to fade. Naaza, however, felt the Yami had no right to complain. _He_ had a doubly lined cape to keep him dry and warm. Shuten had a thick overcoat, and Rajura had some sort of waterproof. Naaza? He hadn't brought anything. No one had told him that rain in the north was cold. He was left in his light clothing and armor to get soaked through and through.

"Gods curses, why does it have to be so cold up here?" he finally shouted.

Shuten smirked. "This is mid-, almost late spring, and you're complaining about the cold? I'd like to see how long you'd last in a Hashiban castle in the dead of winter."

Rajura also smiled. "Or in the Lugan Mountains at mid-summer."

Naaza fumed. "It's cold up this way! None of you bothered to tell me!" He rubbed his bare arms with his soaked gloves in a vain attempt to get warm. Then he sneezed.

"Oh, do forgive us," Shuten said lightly. "We had assumed that you were educated enough to know that. Silly us."

Naaza glared at the red headed Kitsune, hissing under his breath. Like it was _his_ fault he never had any schooling. Like it was _his_ fault that he had come unprepared. Like it was _his_ fault that they were all stuck in this gods' forsaken rain.

He sneezed again. "Curse it, it’s COLD here!"

"Will you all shut up?" came the low, sandy voice of the Yami, Anubisu. "All this chit chat is slowing you down. If you want to get into that . . . that . . . forest anytime today you'd all better step it up!"

Shuten scoffed. "Who put you in charge?"

"All of you, as soon as you upped and put the responsibility of finding those Troopers to me!"

"It's cold!" Naaza complained again. No one ever listened to him.

Anubisu looked to the Sthissthian. "Is that _all_ that's slowing you three down? Fine!" Anubisu walked over to his pack and pulled out a thick, _thick_ blanket. "Here," he said, tossing the item to Naaza. "Wear that when it rains. But it better be in exactly the same condition when I want it back! Near as I can tell without this cursed rain, we're about a day behind. If we keep going on past dark, we should be almost upon them."

Naaza gaped at the thick blanket. He had been told that winters in the Yami forest were cold, but this blanket . . . Hurriedly, he put it over his shoulders, and the immediate chill of the rain vanished. Not knowing what to do, he looked to the Yami elf, at a loss for what to say. No one had ever given him anything. _Anything_. Not even Arago-sama, well, except for promises and convulsions.

"We've been pushing well after dark since we started!" Rajura shouted. "When do we get a decent night’s sleep?"

"Not until we're out of that cursed Korin infected twig collection of a forest!" Anubisu replied, his eyes wild. "We're entering the Korin woods, human! Those light elves have some sort of pact with you humans to lead your kind out if they're ever found under these trees. Do you understand what that means?"

"No," Rajura stated flatly, readjusting his waterproof in the rain.

"It means that not only do we have to keep up whatever pace those Troopers are setting, but we also have to make sure that our mounts stay quiet, our tracks hidden, and our mouths shut."

"Why?" Rajura asked, perturbed that he had to be bothered by anything.

Naaza smirked as he answered, proud that he understood what Anubisu was getting at. "It means that we have to make sure the light long ears don't catch us, or else they'll lead us out of the forest and away from those five."

Rajura looked dumbfounded at Naaza. He looked to Anubisu, who confirmed the information to be true.

"Curse it, why didn't you say that to begin with?" he demanded. "That will slow us down enormously! How are we supposed to keep up with that merc and his cohorts?"

"I've been trying to tell you since we started entering these woods!" Anubisu shouted. "Do you think I WANT to lead you clots into the KORIN forest of all places? I can't kill a single Korin I run into! Do you have any idea what kind of torture that is?"

"It's all you, you, you!" Shuten shouted. "Shut up and deal with it. All your talk about not wanting to get behind and YOU'RE the one holding us up!"

* * *

Anubisu poked his head over the next hill, if it could be called a hill, and spotted a white stallion. And a gold and white pinto. And Sanada Ryo walking beside them. He had found them! By the Gods, he had found them. He ducked his head back down and debated what to do next. The only horse really rested was his, since he had been tracking on foot since the rain the previous day. It was already mid-day. Would they stop to eat something? It was obvious from their pace that they were in no hurry. Or they didn't want to appear to be in a hurry, Anubisu wasn't sure which.

They could not rest the horses until they were a little closer. The other three were a few miles behind him, and he wanted to consistently remain at this distance.

"Say what?" said someone from the seven horses ahead of him.

"Please do not shout," replied a cool low voice. "I do not wish to attract every elf here."

"But you just said that your Grandfather might not let you go! What happens then?"

"Then I do not go. It is that simple."

"But Seiji!" Anubisu by now had moved closer, spying that it was the mercenary who was protesting so loudly. "Ryo's been saying from the get go that all five-"

"Eight, actually," interjected Ryo from below the others.

"Whatever-are supposed to be in on this."

"I cannot go against my Grandfather's wishes. He is High Elder, and I am his heir. I cannot do anything that would displease him. The fact that I am bringing four humans to Daasa Laska-"

_Daasa Laska!_

"-will anger him without a doubt." The Korin's voice softened. "If I cannot convince him that this is an honorable thing to do, then this is the last leg of our journey together."

Anubisu did not listen to the rest of the conversation. He backtracked almost half a mile before stopping. He took repeated deep breaths, forcing himself to restrain his emotions back into himself. It was a process he had done more times he could count over the course of his life, but got harder and harder each time he had to do so. His heart burned, and his entire body shook with rage as the full realization sunk into him.

He was headed to the Korin Daasa Laska. The _Korin_ Daasa Laska. It was like asking him to . . . to . . . he could not think of a comparable torture. He was being asked to calmly, happily, lead three humans into the heart of the most hated place on this world; to take great pleasure in walking into a place that would mean a death as certain as one an elf who lived on the borders faced. He would have to be that close to his enemy and not be able to do a thing.

"How can they ask me to do that?" he asked under his breath.

"Do what?"

Anubisu looked up to see the Kitsune Shuten riding toward him on his non-descript horse.

"You hadn't checked in like you were supposed to. I got elected to find you."

The dark elf took a deep breath. "Nothing. Just that we're going to Daasa Laska."

Shuten rose an eyebrow. "Why?"

"That Korin twit is the grandson of the High Elder."

Eyes rolled. "No wonder he was picked to be the emissary. It must be part of the training of succession."

"Korin light loving spawn," Anubisu spat.

"Look," Shuten retorted, apparently at a loss for patience. "If I can deal with being the favored and called-on advisor of the lecherous king of a country I hate I think you can suck it up long enough to lead us to the center of a country that you hate for a few days. We don't even have to go in."

Anubisu looked at his sword. The need to draw blood on someone. Anyone. He looked to the redhead.

"Don't even think about it," he replied, his voice threatening. "You can pull your sword after we know where their next stop is."

After a long silence, Anubisu said, "We're about an hour behind them. We can start slowing down a little. We'll have to anyway; the deeper we get into this forest the more we'll have to be careful."

"Rajura already set up some illusions for us."

The Yami snorted. "Like I trust those. Just keep your mouth shut and your horse quiet."


	8. Tou Hashiba 07

Touma raised his gloved hand as the hawk he had brought with him flew down to him. She landed gracefully on the wrist and gave an almost happy squawk.

"Hey, lady," he said gently. He removed his free arm from the reins, trusting the horse, and removed his glove to gently brush his fingers through the hawk's feathers. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you since the rain the day before yesterday."

The hawk lowered her head and shook it, a motion continuing down her body, wings, and finally tail feathers.

"Ah," he replied. "I see. I didn't know that there were hawks this far east."

"There are a few," Seiji replied quietly, his eyes alert. "Owls are more prevalent, however."

Touma nodded and continued to stroke the hawk as she continued to respond in kind. "Do you want to sit on my shoulder, girl?"

There was a nod, and Touma lifted his wrist up to his cloaked shoulder. The hawk stepped up, flapping her wings to adjust, and when she was comfortable Touma took up the reins again. "How far are we to Daasa Laska?" he asked the light elf.

"We will turn north in a few hours. By tomorrow, we will reach the river, and after crossing is, we simply follow upstream until we arrive."

"Which river?" Shin asked, his eyes bright.

"The River of Elves," Ryo replied from below. "It's the only river in these woods that's named."

Shuu frowned. "Isn't that impractical? How can anyone navigate the waters if they're not named?"

"Elves don't work that way," Ryo replied. "One of the things that I never really mastered was the art of always knowing where you were. You don't need to know the name of a river for navigational purposes if you know where you are at all times. It has to do with how they track, I think. They don't just follow footmarks and broken branches. They seem to just _know_ what direction something went."

"It is a matter of chi," Seiji replied.

"Chi?" Shin asked.

"But then why is the River of Elves named?" Shuu asked at the same time.

"The river was named by us humans when we tried to make an establishment in these woods," Touma replied, recalling his history lessons. "Us Hashibans were feeling arrogant at the time, and thought it was only in our rights to set up shop at a port, since Hashiba is a landlocked country. The River of Elves was the only river that stretched out past the woods, so we used it to find this great bay."

"The Bay of Elves," Shuu supplied.

"We made an establishment; named it Roanoke; and proceeded to perform every insult possible to the elves, their culture, and their forest."

"There were quite a few wars that sprung up from that," Ryo took up. "Roanoke was really well fortified, but the Korin knew the land and how to work it to their advantage. No one really had a clear edge. I think it was almost three years before one elf, breaking all manner of tradition, walked right into Roanoke and worked out a negotiation."

Touma and Seiji looked down to Ryo.

"I didn't know that part," Touma said. The hawk shifted her weight to the other shoulder as the five passed through a thicket.

"Of course not. One of the clauses was that he remained anonymous. Another was to set up the permanent boundary, and to have a Korin lead a lost human out of the woods. And another was to let the O-sama of Hashiba have an elfin emissary. There were a lot of others, but those are the ones that really lasted."

"It doesn't sound like Hashiba benefited," Touma said, a frown on his face.

"It did, actually," Ryo expanded. "There were other parts that benefited Hashiba, but the elfin emissary is one of the best clauses that you got out of the deal. Elves are very good judges of character, and can be great advisors when they're so inclined."

"It is the chi," Seiji said.

"What is chi?" Shin asked.

"It is the life-force of all living things. With the proper training, elves can sense and follow it, or determine a person's character."

"Chi has a lot of different names, and a lot of different forms," Ryo said from below them, keeping pace with the horses. "One of the more powerful forms of chi is maho, magic."

Seiji turned to look at the red clad priest. "You use chi?"

"I do; and all of you will be able to by the time this is over."

There were varying levels of shock at that statement.

"We will learn maho?" Shuu asked.

"Yes."

"When?"

". . ." Ryo smiled foolishly before saying, "I'm not sure if you're ready to know that."

Everyone facefaulted.

Touma wondered at the possibilities, though. Maho? What would he do?

"Doesn't using maho mean you are Kaosu-sama's disciple?" Shin asked.

"No, it only means you are one of the chosen," Ryo replied. "There are only two disciples, me, and Badamon."

"How do you know we'll learn maho?" Shuu asked.

"Because the other four already are using magic; and the Inochi no Madatama was stolen, and everything has started. You're going to learn maho."

"What king of maho?" Touma asked. "Will I get to fly? Or can I disappear whenever I want? Maybe make myself invisible?"

Ryo blinked. "I have no idea. But I'll be honest, I hope you don't get your wishes."

Touma cocked his head in perfect unison with his hawk. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I hope you don't get any maho that lets you run away from your duty more easily."

Touma rolled his eyes. "Can I help it if I want nothing to do with the crown?"

Shuu shook his head. Ryo frowned disapprovingly. Seiji did not respond, keeping his pinto ahead of the others. His ears did twitch though.

Shin asked, "After everything you've seen, wouldn't you want to take the throne? To change the things you don't like?"

Touma shook his head. "The Hashiban monarchy doesn't work that way. Well, it sort of does, and sort of doesn't. The king, or O-sama as we call him, is the head of every board and committee and combination thereof. Sort of like a big business. Uncle puts forth suggestions and ideas, and it's up to the different branches to implement them."

"So you can make new rules," Shin prompted.

"Only after everything has been voted on, the department has been picked, a plan has been outlined, and most importantly, a budget has been assigned. We're called the Bank of the World for a reason."

"What does that have to do with the rules, though? If you have an idea that benefits Hashiba, then it should be easy to implement."

Touma took a deep breath. "Shin, I admire you. You are in some ways very emotionally mature. But by the three Gods, you have no conception about the real world."

Shin blinked. "Then make me worldly," he said simply.

Touma's head fell, causing the hawk to suddenly open her wings to keep her balance. "Sorry, girl," he murmured before turning to the monk-sir. "Let me put it to you this way, what do you think is best for . . . which country are you from?"

"I was born and raised in Peace."

"What do you think is best for the people of Peace, or Lilimundralle?"

"That they follow the will of Kaosu-sama," Shin said after a moment of thought. "It's more complicated than that, but that's in the broadest terms."

Nodding, Touma turned to glance behind him. "Shuu?" he called out.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"What do you think is best for Lilimundralle?"

Shuu took a moment to think. "Probably to get better ships so their food doesn't spoil overseas as quickly."

"Ryo. . . Never mind. Seiji, what do you think is best for Lilimundralle?"

The elf turned so that he sat backwards on his pinto. His eyes were far away. "To have an elf emissary."

Touma blinked, surprised by the answer, but looked to Shin. "Does that explain things?"

Shin shifted in his saddle, wincing slightly as he discovered a new ache. "You're trying to tell me that everyone has a different opinion as to what's best."

"There's more to it than that, but yeah. Even if, through some tragedy, I took the throne, very little of what I would do would actually come to pass; and by the time it did, it would probably be so deluded and modified that it wouldn't change anything. I can't change anything. I know that, and I don't like it in the slightest. But everyone expects me to just suck it up and deal with it, smile politely and continue on as if anything I do will change the world."

Ryo looked up from where he was walking. "This quest excluded," Touma added hastily.

* * *

The next day, as Seiji predicted, they reached the river. It was the middle of the day, and the five had decided to stop for a meal. Seiji paid little attention to the other four, as he stared beyond the currently flooded river.

He had changed since leaving these woods. He had barely been gone a season, but he had changed.

"Seiji?" The Korin elf looked to see Shin.

"What?" he asked.

"Would I be breaking any protocol if I were to swim in the river? I've been away from the sea for so long, and this is deep enough to swim in."

Seiji blinked, looking at the thin priest and then to the flooded river.

"You realize that it is still flooded due to the winter melting? The current is very strong."

Shin nodded. "When I was a kid, I could out-swim riptides."

A golden eyebrow arched ever so slightly. "Do no relieve yourself in the waters, and do not swim out beyond my line of site."

There was a stout nod, and Shin all but ran back to the river, shrugging off his mantle and casting aside his staff as he went.

Seiji shook his head slightly, and then looked back out to the river.

Where was he? Oh yes, he had changed. The thought brought Seiji down several notches as he sat, almost dejectedly, on the ground, crossing his legs under him. He did not have the slightest idea of how his Grandfather would react to his bringing four humans into the well-hidden gathering known as Daasa Laska. Seiji, as a child, often directly questioned other elves about why certain traditions were in place. On the one hand, it was one of the reasons why his Grandfather had hand-chosen him to be the next Elder. On the other hand, is caused many of the others to question Seiji as a choice. In some ways, he was in the opposite situation of the prince Touma. Where he was well loved yet hated becoming king, Seiji was willing to be elder, but was not a crowd favorite.

His time spent outside of these woods had only made things worse. Seiji found himself seeing different cultures and traditions, and he found himself thinking that the elfin culture might not have been the very best, as he had always believed.

While certainly better, Seiji had learned that the near total isolation would and was costing them dearly. He cursed himself for his thinking, and yet he could not deny his thoughts. If he let them known in any way, his Grandfather would surely choose one of his sisters to be the next Elder. The Korin elf closed his eyes and drew into himself. He needed to rebuild the barriers he had let go of when he left this forest.

"That won't do any good."

Seiji looked up to see Shin, now soaking wet and in his underclothes, sitting by him.

"To what are you referring?"

Shin smiled.

"My older sister used to be like you," he said, "very careful about how she appeared and what emotions she could and couldn't show. It was understandable. Mother has very frail health, so when Sayoko was born she moved to Peace so that the sea air would do her could. But she still gets very sick. She almost died giving birth to me."

Seiji nodded, unsure of where the priest was going.

"Sayoko was ten when that happened and she made a decision that she would be there whenever Mother was sick. So she grew up at the age of ten. She took over the shop while Mother was recovering and looking after me, she became almost a partner when she returned, and she completely closed herself off to emotions." Shin smiled suddenly. "Needless to say, we didn't get along for the longest time.

"Then she met a man. Ryuusuke. I think it was the first time she really couldn't control herself. It drove her out of her mind. She tried so hard to keep herself in check. She failed miserably."

Seiji looked at Shin, uncertain what to say.

"You don't get what I'm saying do you?" Shin asked.

"I am not in love, Shin-sir."

"Yes you are."

Seiji face faulted.

"No!" Shin said, laughing. "That's not what I meant. I mean you're coming to love us. You're starting to like us, to trust us as not just superficial friends, but your true friends. You're relaxing around us. I remember when we first met; you scoffed at everything and just wrote us off as humans. You don't now. I've even seen you smile once in a while."

Ears twitched.

"See? Your ears just twitched. You're expressing yourself more and more the more we travel."

"That is the problem," Seiji said. "I cannot show this to my Grandfather. He took a chance sending me to Hashiba. If I come back, and have not shown that I have learned the appropriate lessons, then . . ."

"Something bad will happen?"

"It may not be bad for a culture such as yours, but if my candidacy is openly questioned by Grandfather . . ."

"I understand," Shin said. "So you need to put on a show?"

"'Show' would not be the word I would use."

Shin smiled again. "Everything will be alright, Seiji. Kaosu-sama is with us. His disciple is personally guiding us. He will not steer you wrong."

"I hope you are correct," Seiji replied. He looked across the river and saw an elf. Under his breath, he added, "We are being watched again."

"Again?" Shin asked.

"Do not look around. Stand up and go back to the campsite. Look ignorant."

The monk-sir blinked, but nodded and stood.

Seiji stood afterward and openly glared across the river. The elf stepped forward to reveal herself to be his sister Yayoi. Just what he needed.

Seiji hoped Shin was right.

* * *

Ryo stoked the fire; glad that almost everyone had fallen asleep. The only ones still up were Seiji and himself. Which was good. Ryo knew that Seiji needed to talk about what would happen, without having to explain the various bits of Elvin culture, bogging down the conversation.

"Seiji," Ryo started, slipping into Elvin. "What are you planning to do about meeting with your grandfather tomorrow?"

The Korin elf's ears sunk, and he sighed. "I still don't know."

"I'm sure the fact that the elves here have been watching us doesn't help much."

Seiji rubbed his temples. "Not just any elf, Ryo. My aneeue, Yayoi."

Ryo hissed. "That can't be good. Let me guess. You two never got along well."

"Quite."

The two slipped into silence. Things the following day wouldn't go well if Seiji didn't have a good plan for convincing his grandfather. The Kaosan disciple thought back to when he had trained with the elves. They hadn't changed very much in the time since, which harmed the elves, but was beneficial for Ryo, since he could now help his pale companion.

Seiji sighed again. "Yayoi is probably telling my grandfather that I'm leading four humans to Daasa Laska, which is true. However, I don't think she realizes that times call for drastic measures. I feel that the history of this world is about to change, but that nobody is going to know it. It will only affect the five of us, and the followers of Arago. How can I even possibly explain that to my grandfather?"

Ryo crossed his arms. "Perhaps you should just express what you just told me?"

"My grandfather is expecting that my questioning nature will have been curved by now."

"Whoever said anything about questioning?"

"I am afraid I do not follow you."

Ryo stared deeply into the fire, trying to see if what he was suggesting would work or not. "Perhaps, instead of questioning him, you should act like the next High Elder, as you are going to be. No, you can't order him around, but certainly by now you can make your own decisions."

Seiji chuckled. "We are going to ask my grandfather if I can partake in this quest. That in itself is a question."

"True," Ryo agreed.

Seiji let out a grumble and lay back on the soft earth, looking up to the cloudy night sky.

"It's not what I say to my grandfather. That's not the issue. He will let me go. It is the fact that Yayoi will most likely challenge my rite to succession, and the fact that I am leading four humans into our hidden city."

"That would be difficult to deal with," Ryo agreed, continuing to stare into the depths of the fire. "Could you challenge Yayoi's perception of you?"

"Not in a way that would lend itself to allowing us to leave quickly."

"And simply justifying why you brought us here wouldn't cut it?"

"Not to a bunch of old elves stuck in their ways. It will be hard enough when I become High Elder to change things."

Ryo nodded. "Nor can you let a human like me talk with the high elder, even though I am well educated in the ways of your people?"

"I doubt they would believe you to be the Sanada Ryo of legend without you displaying some act of maho."

Ryo's shoulders slumped. "That's not a very good idea. The less I have to perform magic to convince people the better. I don't want to light a flare every time we need to convince someone of who I am. It would lead the wrong people to us."

"Indeed."

"What about talking about this privately with your grandfather? You said he would understand, so why bother with the others? As I recall, if the High Elder orders something, it will be done, no matter what the other elders say."

"It is a possibility," Seiji consented. "But getting to talk to my grandfather personally would be difficult." The light elf snorted. "I can almost guarantee that Yayoi will be there."

"But it's a start," Ryo asserted. "That's more than you had a few moments ago."

The two fell into silence again. There had to be some way to help the light elf out. Since his grandfather was High Elder, Seiji only had to worry about convincing his grandfather, not every elf in the Korin Forest. The real problem would be Yayoi.

"Ne, Seiji, what kind of relationship do you have with your older sister, anyway? You make it sound bitter."

Seiji sat up, an eyebrow raised. "You bring up a good point. Basically we have a normal sibling relationship. We tease each other and can have fun, especially if our little sister Satsuki is around. However, she is indeed bitter about the topic of succession. I am the first male heir to be produced, so it naturally fell to me. However, it would have fallen originally to my mother, then Yayoi. I believe she had dreams of becoming High Elder."

Ryo nodded. "And can you use that to help you in any way?"

"I will need to think on it, but yes, I think I can."

"Good. I have first watch, so you had better get to sleep."

Seiji said nothing, but went to his bedroll and curled up.

_Master_, the red-clad disciple thought. _I hope I am guiding these four properly._


	9. Daasa Laska 08

Shuu was itching to pull out his staff and swing it around. Since entering the forest, no one had brandished their weapons. He knew that they were being watched, and that looking threatening in anyway would be very bad for Seiji. Shuu looked around at the greenery wearily. The sense of being watched had only increased since they had crossed the river. He knew that they must be entering Daasa Laska very soon, and the growing tension of the woods and Seiji were thick.

Shuu rolled his neck and then his shoulders in an attempt to keep himself loose. He had already eaten the last of his trail mix the previous day at the river. Crossing the swelled body of water had been difficult for the horses, but between Seiji and Shin, they had managed to keep the animals calm. Shuu had forgotten how much of a natural Shin was in the water, and his eyes had been bright since then, as if he had been recharged or something. Shuu supposed it was natural. He could never picture his friend anywhere but near the sea.

Seiji stopped up his pinto, bringing the procession to a halt.

"Are we there yet?" Shuu asked.

Seiji turned on his bareback mount, facing them. "From here you will lead your horses. Ryo, I recommend you take the pack horses, as you have no mount. I will remain mounted. None of you, _none_ of you," he emphasized, looking directly to Ryo, "will utter a word. You will follow me and bow when I bow. You will remain on the ground to show your respect of elfin culture, and you will _not_" Seiji looked pointedly to Shuu, "get up until I tell you to. Is that understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"I will go first, followed by Touma-sama-"

"Seiji . . ."

"You are a prince, and in these woods, you will be treated as such. Shin-sir will be next, and then Shuu-san. Ryo-san, with the pack horses, will be in the rear."

"I'll admit I don't like that. I'm very well versed," Ryo said. "But I understand what you're trying to do. I won't say anything."

Seiji nodded. "Please dismount and let us go."

Shuu hopped off his charger easily, followed by Touma. Shin took a little more time and didn't look nearly as graceful, but he too took the reins of his horse. Seiji, once again facing forward on his pinto, started to ride again.

"Dare da?" a voice came from somewhere. Shin and Touma startled slightly and Shuu bit his tongue.

"Watashi, Date Seiji desu," Seiji replied. So this was elfin. The conversation continued; the unseen side polite but very heated while Seiji remained perfectly stoic. Shuu had noticed the gradual change from the reserved, if expressive elf he had met in the Outlet to the nigh on emotionless creature he was now. Were all elves like that? Well, he would soon find out.

"Teme," the faceless voice spat. Shuu suspected a curse word.

"Yare, yare," Seiji said. Shuu wished he could see the Korin elf's expression. "'Teme' da te?"

The faceless voice replied with something, and then disappeared. Seiji motioned for the horses to move forward. Ryo was making a few noises, but when the mercenary turned Ryo waved it off. He mouthed something, but Shuu could not read lips well.

Minutes later, they passed through a pair of narrow bushes, and out into a clearing. It was a wide expanse of soft earth and leaves partly decomposed. Daasa Laska was not a city like Tou Hashiba or Peace or Gullog of Luga. It was more of a part of the forest. Shuu had always pictured elves as living in and climbing trees. But here all buildings were on the ground. The buildings themselves could hardly be called such. The average height of them was the height of a full grown man. They were not obviously manmade. It looked as though trees and branches simply grew into the shape of a dwelling, and the elves covered them with what almost looked like animal skins. Shuu could not be sure. The buildings were at the very edges of the clearing, leaving a wide open space for dances or festivals.

Or meetings.

Seiji lead the procession to the far end of the clearing, to a building that was only slightly larger than the others. Shuu knew elves were staring at him from everywhere, but he could see no one. Looking in front of him, he could see Shin experiencing a similar feeling, his brown head of hair turning this way and that as the priest tried to spy who was spying him. Touma ahead of the pair kept his head locked, looking only directly in front of him. Shuu supposed it was what was supposed to be done, so he stopped looking, instead keeping his eyes on Shin and his mare.

They stopped when Seiji did and, after he dismounted, walked a little farther forward so that they were away from the horses. Seiji stopped and turned, making sure the other four had caught up with him. Seiji gave the slightest of nods, turned back to the larger building and bowed.

Shuu and the others followed suit, getting on their knees and putting their heads to the earth.

And so they remained.

Seiji had hinted that they might remain that way for a long time. He did not tell them that they would have to remain bowed or almost an hour. Shuu's knees were killing him from the extended strain, and his back ached from being bent. He could see pairs of pale bare feet on either side of him appear and disappear. The canopy overhead did not allow for him to see his shadow, so he could not tell exactly how long the five had stayed bowed. He was bored out of his mind. Shuu could hear labored breathing from Shin, and empathized with him greatly.

After what seemed like ages, there finally came an ancient voice.

"Seiji-san."

"Ojii-sama."

"Seiji-kun." Shuu recognized the voice as the one that had cursed as Seiji earlier.

"Yayoi-onee-sama."

"I assume that you would wish to converse in the human dialect, since you have brought four of them here," the ancient voice said.

"It would be of some merit, Grandfather," Seiji replied. "The purpose of my coming here concerns them greatly."

"Such is obvious, Seiji-san," his Grandfather said, his voice slightly hard.

"I would introduce you to these four. They are Touma-sama,"

Voices whispered in elfin around Shuu.

"The priest Mouri Shin-sir, the mercenary Rei Fuan Shuu-san, and the first disciple of the god Kaosu, Sanada Ryo."

More murmurs arose.

"This is quite a contingent, Seiji-san. I am certain that you have more than ample reason to bring four humans into this hidden cove that is Daasa Laska."

"I have more than ample, Ojii-sama," Seiji replied. Shuu could hear the pale elf rise. Shuu envied that he could stand up while the others remained bowed. Shuu wanted to see what the old man looked like. "The Inochi no Madatama has been stolen and Sanada Ryo has gathered four of the chosen to regain the item. It appears that I am one of the chosen."

"Those are very bold words," said the girl that insulted Seiji.

"And yet they are truth, elder sister," Seiji said calmly. Woah! That was his sister? This could get interesting.

"One wonders," the grandfather asked, "what proof have you that this is the fabled Sanada Ryo?"

"I present much proof, Ojii-sama," Seiji said slowly. "He has foretold many events that indeed took place, and has displayed an intimate knowledge of many things that not even the most devout of Kaosu-sama's monks would know. He has keen knowledge of people and can see through many disguises. He was able to point out to Hashiba no O-sama that his most trusted aide was in fact a charlatan."

"While these are indeed compelling from the most truthful Seiji-san," the big sister said. "Any learned person can fit this description. Especially in the knowledge driven land of Hashiba. Was there any physical proof, I wonder, or have you followed a man merely because of his words and not your senses. Has this red-clad man performed miracles? Does he wield the fabled Go Retsu Ken?"

"These are true questions," the grandfather said. Shuu frowned. He thought that Seiji said he was the favored. Why did his grandfather doubt him? Because of the insulting sister?

"What other proof do you offer?"

There was a long pause, and Shuu could just picture Seiji glaring at his sister, whatever she looked like.

"It is a simple question, Seiji-kun," the sister said. "Why do you hesitate in answering?"

"Sanada Ryo did display one mystery. Two actually. But they were not under . . . ordinary circumstances."

"Please elaborate," the grandfather's ancient voice prompted.

"The charlatan advisor that was previously mentioned had manufactured documents that made it appear that Touma-sama was dishonorable, and the charlatan implicated the others and . . . myself . . . as encouraging his dishonor. There was a hearing."

After the loud murmurs had died down, the grandfather asked, "You, the elfin emissary of Touma-sama and my grandson, were accused of dishonor?"

"I . . . I was."

_Oh, Seiji,_ someone said. Shuu resisted the urge to look up. He was certain that was in his head. It sort of sounded like Shin, but he couldn't be sure. He suddenly thought of the time when Seiji and Touma were having a one-sided conversation.

"Surely you were able to defend you honor and prove yourself innocent."

There was another long pause, and Shuu understood why the voice in his head had sympathy for Seiji.

"The nature of the trial was doctored, because the charlatan brought about false witnesses. I defended my honor and my stature, but the charlatan succeeded in persuading the O-sama of Hashiba that the four of us were guilty."

"I see," the grandfather said. "I assume that this has some relevance as to the physical proof of Sanada Ryo's claim?"

"These were the extraordinary circumstances that I did not want to mention. Sanada Ryo, however, suddenly appeared and released us. We made our way to Touma's room to release him as well, and his chi would continually disappear, even though I knew that he was around the corner or down the next hall."

"Did you ever see how his chi disappeared?" Seiji's sister asked.

" . . . No."

"I see," the grandfather said. "While the disappearing of chi is very compelling, you cannot offer why such has happened. In short, you have brought these four humans to the haloed ground of Daasa Laska based almost entirely on words and feelings that were not followed up."

"You have always said that I had the best instincts , Ojii-sama," Seiji said, his voice slightly strained. "You know that my word, however bold or blunt, has always been true. I believe Sanada Ryo to be who he says he is."

"Yet you offer no proof," the sister said.

"Yayoi-onee-sama," Seiji said in level tones. "I do not believe that even you can have any say in a matter that is entirely up to the High Elder."

"You forget, Seiji-san," the grandfather said, "that the High Elder may let the candidates of such a position watch and participate so as to prove themselves. Your sister Yayoi had every right to inform me that four humans were being lead to Daasa Laska by none other than my formerly favored grandson."

_Curse it curse it curse it! It isn't supposed to go like this!_ Another voice filtered into Shuu's head. Ryo?

"You have met Touma-sama. That duty, at least, was discharged without problem. It is late in the afternoon, so I will let these four stay the night. Tomorrow their provisions will be restocked, and your sister Yayoi-san will lead these four out of the Korin forest. They may continue the quest that the supposed Sanada Ryo embarked on. Without you."

Shuu sat up. "But we need him!" Too late he caught himself and flushed that he had forgotten his place. "S-sorry," he said hastily before bowing back to the ground.

"No, no," the grandfather said. "Please sit up. I wish to know how you feel that my grandson is so necessary to this quest."

Shuu sat up again, cursing in his mind at his stupidity. Seiji's face was unreadable, but his eyes were wide. To his left was an ancient looking elf, the grandfather, and to _his_ left was a Korin elf girl, her hair long, but just as wild as Seiji's. Her face was composed, with the slightest hints of a smirk on her lips.

"Well?"

"I . . . I'm sorry for bursting out like that. I can be impulsive," Shuu said slowly. "Your grandson Seiji has been giving me a sort of crash course on your culture. I haven't learned everything, I'm probably too thick headed for that, but I get the fact that everything you guys do is based on appearances and observations and honesty. You know when someone is lying or not, you know how to find people because of that chi tracking thing Ryo mentioned, and you can read minds if you're really good."

The grandfather looked to Shuu, then Seiji, then the red clad Ryo.

"That kind of stuff is useful, I mean, look at our group. We've got a disciple, a priest, a prince, a merc, and Seiji. Like Ryo's been telling us from the get go; we all have special talents. Seiji's already had some kind of mental talk with Touma, I've been hearing Shin and Ryo's voices in my head this afternoon, and, well, everyone has their part to play. Seiji is fast as heck with his sword; he's put me in my place more than once when we were sparring, and he can sense things. Stuff like that is useful. Just as useful as my battle tactics or Shin's truth-reading-"

"Shuu! Not everyone knows that!" came a harsh whisper.

"Or Touma's sense of finances and economy and that hawk he always has. We all are gonna have roles to play. I can't explain why, but we're all going to be important. I don't know if I've made that much sense, but, curse it we need him!"

Shuu bowed again. "I'm really sorry for the outburst. If I knew how to say it in elfin I would."

"You are much like my grandson," the ancient elf said. "You have great fervor and wish only good things. That does not change things, however. Meaning well and doing right are two very different things. Seiji has forgotten this lesson yet again." There was a pause, and Seiji's grandfather spoke to his grandson. "You have met and begun to advise Touma-sama, for good or for bad. With that duty discharged, you are to remain here until his coronation. When the prince is safely king, you will no longer have need to worry about quests. Yayoi will lead these four outside of these woods. Her I can rely on, for she has not brought dishonor to his family."

"Ojii-sama-" Seiji started.

"That will be all, Seiji-san," his grandfather said over him. "Your last duty is to escort your four to the appropriate quarters. You will then report to me to learn how to properly go about fixing the numerous problems you have caused." There was another pause. "Do you understand, Seiji-san?"

Shuu could hear Seiji bow, and then answer in elfin. "Hai, Ojii-sama. Wakarimasu. Sore dewa."

"Shuu," Ryo said. "You can stand now."

The mercenary did so gratefully, but only frowned as he saw Seiji, his face again indiscernible, walk past them as if he had never met them. Shuu and the others rushed to catch up to him as he led them to their quarters for the remainder of the day.

* * *

Shin let out a long breath. He felt claustrophobic in the tight quarters of the hut, for lack of a better word, that the four of them were kept it. The roof was low enough that no one could stand up straight, and the diameter of the circular dwelling had everyone sitting within inches of each other. Only Shuu and Ryo had any space, as they sat on either side of the door.

"Are all quarters like this?" Touma asked. "Or is it because we're loathsome humans that have sinned by coming here to Daasa Laska?"

Ryo smiled. "Do you know what 'Daasa Laska' means?"

Touma shook his head. "I know it's elfin, but I don't know the translation."

"Few would," Ryo answered. "The dialect is almost never used anymore. It means 'haloed ground'. It is believed that my master's first steps upon this world were in that clearing."

Shin gasped. "Is that true?"

Ryo shrugged in response. "I have no idea. There's another Daasa Laska on the other side of the mountains, where they say that Arago-baka took his first steps. I'm sure there's a Daasa Laska somewhere where Kayura-sama took her steps, too, but there probably weren't any elves around when that happened. Knowing her, there was probably nobody there."

"No wonder they don't like trespassers," Touma whispered.

Ryo shrugged again. "I'm not sure that many elves remember that anymore. I don't even want to guess as to how many years ago that was."

"What happens now?" Shuu asked.

Ryo looked down. "I don't have the faintest clue. Things went horribly today. I didn't expect his grandfather to interrogate him so thoroughly. I was hoping the whole arrest wouldn't even come up."

"It had to do with the older sister, I think," Shuu said.

"Yayoi-san?" Shin asked.

"Seiji mentioned that she didn't like her candidacy being threatened by him. I didn't think it was at all like that."

"How can anyone not like their family?" Shin said. "Sure you fight and do things the others don't like, but you love each other just the same. I can't remember how many arguments I had with my sister Sayoko, but we still got along."

"Not every family is as well-knit as yours or Shin's," Touma said bitterly. "I love my uncle. Heck, I love my mom and dad, but I hate that their pushing the throne onto me. I resent it, actually. That gets awfully hard to get past when you're trying to sit down to dinner. I can't even imagine what it would be like in a society where showing emotions is practically a sin."

"It can't be that bad," Shin insisted. "If they love each other, they'll show it."

"That's very human thinking," Ryo said. "Elves show very little for fear of being dishonored. When I was studying under them, I watched a pair of elves fall in love with each other. It was the most beautiful pair. But because of their different associations, they could not express their love for each other. Neither one knew that the other loved them. They died not knowing it. It drove me up the wall. I saw it happening and I couldn't do anything about it because it wasn't my place to do so. Not without getting dishonored."

"How sad," Shin said, his shoulder slumping in the tight space. "They can't even express to family?"

"I'm sure they probably do, when they're absolutely sure that no one else is looking. But if you're in a position like High Elder, when is someone not watching?"

"So," Touma temporized, "Seiji is not only battling for the right to be High Elder, but also his grandfather's affection and attention."

"No wonder he didn't want us coming here," Shuu sighed.

There was a long period of silence. Shin couldn't stand the fact that there were families like this in the world. Surely Kaosu-sama's teachings took care of this? Then Shin reminded himself that the elves were indifferent to the gods. He looked up. "Why are elves so indifferent to the gods?"

Ryo blinked, surprised by the question. "I'm not really sure. I know that when my master asked them to fight with him the Fifty Year War, they didn't because they did not want to harm their brothers beyond the mountains."

Touma blinked. "You mean the Yami?"

"They weren't Yami, or even Korin, back then. The elves here didn't want to fight. They felt betrayed that the elves across the Lugan mountains did fight. Meanwhile the elves in the Yami forest thought that these elves were cowards for not taking arms. They both crossed a lot of different levels of honor for their perceived dishonors."

"That sounds stupid," Shuu said. "They've been fighting each other since the Fifty Year War just because of whether or not one side fought and the other didn't?"

"Shuu! Remember where you are!" Touma all but shouted. "We've already insulted them enough; do you want to get us into more trouble?"

Shuu flushed slightly. "Sorry."

Everyone gave a collected sigh.

Ryo tried to stretch, accidentally sending his elbow into Touma's face. After apologizing hastily, he said, "I can only hope Seiji does better one on one. We'll find out tomorrow."

"I hope he'll be okay," Shin said.

* * *

Ryo finished packing the pack horses. There had been no sign of any escort, neither Seiji nor Yayoi, and he was beginning to wonder if he should lead the four of the out himself. Except that he refused to leave without Seiji. He'd rather set a pointless fire than go without one of the chosen.

"Sanada Ryo-san."

Ryo turned around to see Yayoi.

"Ryo?" Shin walked over. "Hello, Yayoi-san," he said, seeing Seiji's older sister. "Ryo, do we have to walk the horses out, or do we mount?"

"You walk first," Yayoi-san answered.

"No," Ryo said. "We ride."

Yayoi's eyes narrowed.

"Only people of high respect enter and leave Daasa Laska mounted," Ryo explained. "You four are the chosen; you have the right to ride out of here."

"I see where Seiji-kun has learned his bold words," Yayoi said. "You would have been very proud of him, had you seen him."

"I'm sure the High Elder held more pride for his words than I ever could," Ryo answered politely.

Yayoi made no outward expression, but Ryo could tell he got under her skin. Good. Ryo didn't really feel all that good natured, at the moment. Her presence meant that Seiji had failed in convincing his grandfather that they were on a genuine quest. That was bad. Ryo had every intention of politely getting Yayoi so mad that she would dishonor herself somehow.

"You know little of our culture indeed," Yayoi replied genially, "if you presume that pride is so freely distributed to those who are not worthy."

"Then you must indeed be lonely when you talk with your grandfather," Ryo said with equal cordiality. "For Seiji has often intoned and hinted that he is the favored."

"That was until this unfortunate incident," Yayoi said her eyes only momentarily angry. "We are all very disappointed in his grave lack of judgment."

"One must wonder how any could believe such a ludicrous accusation." Ryo smiled. "Seiji is of the highest character and judgment. That is a fact agreed by all of us, and we are shocked that his opinion was so degraded the other day merely because the High Elder's mind was clouded with false words."

"What false words would those be?" Yayoi asked. "We elves are incredibly truthful. Had you studied under us, as Sanada Ryo did, then you would know such."

"Ah," Ryo said his smile widening. "You see, truth can be twisted with half-truth. The unwarranted announcement that four humans were entering Daasa Laska without full knowledge of the reason for such is one such twisting. It is engrained very well in elves that these sacred grounds are just that, sacred. To bring others to them is dishonorable, and only to be done under the most serious of circumstances."

"And how would you know such has occurred?" Yayoi asked.

"The conversation you held with Seiji just before we entered," Ryo answered almost glibly, happy to drop the bombshell. "You were quite adamant about implying that your grandfather was very angered by his grandson's lack of respect of these haloed grounds."

Yayoi openly glared at Ryo.

"Aneeue," came a new voice.

Yayoi spun around. "Seiji-kun?" She easily switched to elfin. "What are you doing here? Ojii-sama said expressly that you were not to leave."

Seiji nodded gravely, speaking in human dialect. "I have thought about this all night, Aneeue. Honor exists on many different levels. Honor revolves out of respect. One must have respect for another in order to be honorable and courteous to them. One must have respect for another's position or situation, or to another's circumstances, before honor can be shown. I respect and love Daasa Laska and what it represents. However, I also have respect and love for those four humans. The path I walk will involve them greatly. To them I will honor a promise they do not even know about, to be with them through this journey. _I_ will lead them out of these woods and onto their next destination. I will stay with them until our paths separate."

"Seiji-kun, you forget," Yayoi said, remaining in elfin. "That your paths have already separated."

Seiji shook his head. "You may wish that they have, grandfather may wish that they have, but they have not. You cannot decide my path. I must; and I say that it has not ended."

Ryo interjected. "I believe that we must take this up with the High Elder. I doubt either of you will back down, so one must turn to those wiser." Ryo turned to the three mounted, Touma gaping at the skillful wordplay, Shuu and Shin keeping their mouths shut for fear of getting onto more trouble. "Shall we proceed?" he asked.

Touma nodded dumbly, and then dismounted.

The six walked back down the large clearing, this time openly gathering elves, and stood and waited to at the High Elder's home. Shuu started to bow, but Ryo stopped him, making everyone stand.

"Ojii-sama," Yayoi called softly. "Seiji wishes to continue his journey against your wishes."

"I have explained myself already," Seiji replied. Ryo could tell that the blond was deliberately staying in the human dialect so as to keep the other up to pace. Ryo suddenly smiled.

"It is alright to speak in elfin," Ryo said in Seiji's tongue. "Since this is an elfin matter, it is only appropriate."

Seiji raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

The ancient grandfather exited his hut, this time only after several minutes. "You are still here."

Ryo continued to speak in elfin. "We are indeed, honored High Elder. Seiji wishes to honor us as he honors you and you culture. As he so eloquently stated earlier, he has respect for us, something that does not come easily to elves, and trusts us to do right by him. Very few humans receive that honor, and we all understand and appreciate it appropriately. I have studied your culture and understand it thoroughly. I would love to trade words and veiled allusions with you, but alas, I do not have the time or the patience. I am like Seiji in that way, I prefer direct methods when possible. High Elder, I am the Sanada Ryo of legend. My maho is fire orientated, and I hesitate to cast a spell in such tree covered haloed grounds, but I will do so if it will prove to you that the Inochi no Madatama has indeed been stolen and that Seiji is required to retrieve it."

"Ojii-sama," Yayoi started.

"Please do not listen to Yayoi-san, High Elder," Ryo interrupted. "She insulted Seiji yesterday before we entered the haloed grounds of Daasa Laska. As I recall, 'teme' may not be the worst of words to say, but even the impulsive Shuu-san noticed that it was an insult."

"Ryo," Seiji started.

"Seiji did not state such, because he would rather draw dishonor to himself entirely than share blame. While I respected his decision and still do, I must recite this so that you may know all the facts. Seiji has been nothing but honorable and respectable since we met in the Outlet, and if you wish to put dishonor on anyone, then you may put it to me for not explaining or displaying myself sooner. I have tried to wait until everyone was ready before I laid too much information upon them."

"Ryo," Seiji said in a completely different tone of voice.

The High Elder of Daasa Laska looked at the six assembled, his eyes darting from Ryo to Seiji to Yayoi. Shin, Shuu, and Touma looked on, not certain what was happening, but hoping it was for the best.

Finally, there came a quiet chuckle.

"Only you, Seiji-san, would find such people to associate with. Very well, you may go with them."

Ryo and Seiji openly smiled, causing Shin, Shuu, and Touma to grin as well, understanding without understanding.

"However, I do not give my blessing to such a journey."

Seiji gaped.

"You have risked much to remain with these four. To that I give you credit. Risk is an important part of life. But there are some things you do not risk. Your honor is one. Therefore, I will withhold any blessings until you have returned to me and recount your journey. After hearing such, I will determine whether it has done you good or not. You may go."

Ryo looked to Seiji, uncertain what to say. Seiji stood stock still, his face open in shock. Then, slowly, he turned, his face becoming unreadable. "Let us depart," he said lowly. "I would rather leave sooner than later."

Yayoi huffed off, not sure whether to be happy or mad, and Seiji lead the others back to their horses.


	10. Daasa Laska 09

Naaza found that it was getting harder and harder to get along with his three associates. Since the Troopers they had been following had entered Daasa Laska, Anubisu had refused to take them in. Daasa Laska, the Yami elf had explained, was too sensitive for them to enter unnoticed into. However, the four of them sitting just one day's travel from their targets, but unable to go in and exterminate them, was making them stir crazy. They had no idea how long they would stay in Daasa Laska, and signs of their extended time in each other's company was starting to show. It was getting harder and harder _not_ to have an argument that wouldn't draw every elf in the area to them, since they argued frequently.

In fact, Naaza noted as he kept watch on the elves' sacred ground, they were in the middle of an argument right now.

"How am I supposed to know how long they'll be in that cursed light haven?" Anubisu seethed.

"You're the elf!" Rajura accused. "How are these things supposed to go?"

"You dare presume that Korin and Yami are the same!"

"You are, aren't you?" Shuten asked. "The only difference is coloring."

Anubisu made a move for his sword.

Normally Naaza would make a move to break it up right now, but he was sick of it. Ever since they had entered these woods, the dark elf had been getting far more unlikable. These woods made him tense and snappish, which was making everyone else even worse to be with. Not that Naaza even enjoyed their company. He clutched his, er, Anubisu's, warm blanket even closer, trying to ward off the chill of these woods. How could the others stand it? It was so cold! Late spring. Yeah, right.

Things continued to deteriorate behind him and Naaza could care less. It was his turn to keep an eye on the light elves' only city, so he contented himself on ignoring the people he was forced to work with. However, something caught his eye.

"Quiet!" he hissed.

The fact that he had actually bothered to speak since he'd been silent in the forest, got the others' attention.

"What is it?"

"I said shush!"

The three gathered around him to peek around the large tree that had been sheltering them through the night. Much to Naaza's delight, the three first gaped at what the Sthissian was looking at, and then gaped at the snake himself. So often, they thought he was just an uneducated lizard off the streets. In many aspects, he hated to admit, that was correct. But he did have a brain in his head, contrary to what the others thought. So he was rather pleased with himself when they saw that he did have his own smarts.

"You can quit gloating now," Anubisu whispered harshly, his irritation with the situation near boiling point. "You saw the Troopers leaving Daasa Laska. Fine. Now we have to start following them once they pass by."

Naaza quietly hissed, but said nothing since the Troopers were approaching earshot.

"Seiji," the Kaosan priest said, his voice barely hearable at their distance. "Are you alright?"

"I am not," the Korin elf replied.

"Is there anything we can do?" The Lugan mercenary asked.

"No," the disciple said. "He is no longer favored."

To this, the Troopers seemed sad, but Naaza noticed a bright smile cross the Yami's face.

"That's a good thing?" he whispered to the dark skinned elf.

"Extremely good. They are now traveling with a dishonored elf. He will not be able to seek any aide from any Korin elf until he had regained his honor again. And I will personally make certain that he will not regain that honor ever again."

Naaza smiled. "So we are following an indebted prince and a dishonored elf? How interesting."

* * *

That evening, Touma and his friends reached the river, where, oddly enough, an elf with a flower in her hair was waiting.

"Satsuki-chan?" Seiji raised an eyebrow, the first expression he'd had since they left Daasa Laska that morning. "What are you doing here?" the older elf asked, staying in the human dialect.

"Nii-chan," the girl replied. "My human, not very good yet."

"Don't worry. They'll understand you."

"Ryo-san say that you going south. To Lilimundralle. I have boat for you. Easier travel."

Four surprised chosen ones whirled to the red-clad disciple.

"Last night," Ryo explained quickly, putting up his hands in defense, "she came to visit us. I mentioned where all of us would be going, so she said she'd take care of it. I didn't realize that she was Seiji's other sister."

Three surprised chosen ones whirled to the young elf girl.

"Hai," Satsuki confirmed, smiling brightly and acting un-elf like. "He speak elf very good. But uses old dialect. I believe to be Sanada Ryo-san." Satsuki walked over and gave her brother a very warm hug. "Jii-san does bless you. Just not public. He knows you right and Nee-san wrong. Too many baka to deal with for public blessing. Nee-san not happy."

"Arigatoo gozaimashita," Seiji replied in elfin. "Anata wa subarashi. Honto arigatoo."

"Hai. Kochira koso." Satsuki stood to her toes and gave Seiji a kiss on his forehead. "Iterashai."

"Hai."

"You want me to work boat then return to Daasa Laska?"

To this, Ryo bowed very low. "If I may," he said. "I have a better idea."

* * *

Anubisu, though feeling much better that the light elf he would kill was dishonored, was still near the boiling point. He was sick of the Korin Forest and he wanted _out_ and _soon_. But no, he was still tracking. What made matters worse, was that it appeared that their prey had taken the river, but of course, Anubisu didn't have a boat.

The Yami elf cursed, heavily, in elfin, and continued to do so.

"Konban wa!" an absurdly cheerful voice spoke. "You lost in wrong forest. I guide you to Pou Hashiba. You humans very far off course."

Anubisu reflexively drew his hood down lower and started to draw his sword. However, Naaza grabbed his arm, preventing the dark elf from completely unsheathing it.

_You can't,_ the snake hissed. _So close to their city would bring every elf for miles._

"Just let me get one," Anubisu whispered, trying to wrench his arm free from the Sthissian's tight grasp.

_Then we'd never get out of this forest alive._

_At least I'd take a few of them with me!_

_Enough!_ Rajura shouted at them. _If I ever want my shot at that Lugan mercenary, you'll have to refrain from killing that girl._

_But it's a_ Korin! Anubisu cursed. He'd wanted to draw blood for weeks now, and he wasn't going to be allowed to when given the chance. This wasn't fair. He was willing to kill anyone to get one chance to kill that elf girl. Unfortunately, he knew the people he was traveling with too well. He wouldn't stand a chance against all _three_ of them alone. Though, somehow, he felt that Naaza might help him. The half-breed understood that humans didn't deserve what was given to them.

As if in response, Naaza released the Yami's arm. "I'll trust you," he whispered.

Anubisu stared. He sheathed his sword and shook with fury. "Fine. We'll do it your way."

The small elf child hopped down from where she had hidden in the branches. She had a flower in her hair. "Are you done talking? We need go now. Pou Hashiba quite far."

Anubisu agreed. So far that they had no chance of catching up with their quarry now. Who was going to explain _that_ to Badamon?

* * *

Seiji sat in the boat, willing himself to stay calm as long as they were in the forest. Once they crossed Bread River into Lilimundralle, he could vent, shout, spar, and curse as much as he wanted. However, as long as he was under the eyes of these woods, he would _not_ give to the old idiots that his grandfather sometimes had to please the satisfaction of seeing a dishonored elf fall apart. He had been doing so for the past four days since they had left Satsuki, and he would continue to do so for the next week when they'd leave the boat and ride for the next three days to the Bread River that Lilimundralle cherished so much.

But could he last that long?

"Shin," he said quietly. "In about an hour, we'll find a fork in the river. East will take us to what humans call the Bay of Elves and the Roanoke Ruins. South will bring us closer to Bread River."

"I understand," the far too relaxed priest-sir stated, easily guiding the boat along the river.

"You don't sound worried," Seiji accused, letting some of his pent up anger slip into his voice.

"I'm on water again," the monk replied. "I think when I get back to the Outlet, after all this is over, I'll request to be stationed near a river, or on the seas again. I didn't realize how empty I was becoming in the Outlet while away from the water."

Touma walked over, stroking the hawk on his arm. "I didn't realize you were so close to the water."

"I grew up in Peace," Shin stated. "I lived on the seas for as far back as I can remember. The priesthood requires you to be older than most professions when joining, so I was a sailor for a short time before I became a monk in order to help support my mother's medical bills." The smile plastered on the young boatman's face grew wider. "I've been told I'm a natural. The captain I worked under said it was a shame that the cloth was calling me, because he thought I'd be better off piloting the oceans."

"When we were kids," Shuu entered the conversation from where he was reclining by the edge of the boat, "he would often take me out swimming. I swear; he could hold his breath longer than most adults I knew back then."

Shin nodded. "I've been told that as well. I think it's something in my ancestry."

"You don't know?" Ryo asked, surprise in his eyes. "You're part Suiko."

The priest-sir-turned-boatman scratched the back of his head in confusion.

Ryo sighed. "So many of the words common back then aren't around anymore," he muttered. "A Suiko, today, is called a merperson I think. Or in your case, it was a mermaid, many generations ago."

Several jaws hit the ground.

"How do a mermaid and a human . . ."

"I don't even want to know . . ."

"How far back . . ."

"So he's not all human, like I am," Touma stated.

"None of you are," Ryo replied. "You have Tenkuu in your line, as you know. Shin has Suiko. Shuu has Kongo, which is a sort of mountain cat person, and Seiji, well, is an elf as you can see."

Seiji's ears twitched. Just what was required in order to be a chosen one?

* * *

Shuten let out a long breath that he had been holding. The past week and a half had been torture. That silly little elf girl, who didn't even know how to speak the human dialect at all, had just taken them out of the Korin forest and into Hashiba. The one place that the Kitsune did not want to be in was the place where his Oni mark could kill him, and where he was now a wanted felon.

Things just couldn't get much worse, could they?

_You imbeciles!_

Shuten took that back. Badamon always made things worse.

_What are you doing in Hashiba? You're supposed to be following that red-clad buffoon and his team!_

_You try to avoid light elves when you're only a day away from Daasa Laska!_ Anubisu roared, his fury finally getting a release. _Don't forget that these cursed lights have a treaty with the Hashibans!_

_You could have gotten around it!_

The four didn't bother to contradict their stupid boss.

_This won't work,_ Badamon fumed. _Go back to your original posts._ Not even bothering to explain further, the blue-skinned freak cut off his link.

Naaza hissed in anger. "I'm supposed to go back to Sthiss after being away for over two months! I'll just about have to start from scratch! Does that idiot have any idea how hard that is for a Doko! Does he?"

"Like I can even show my face again in Tou Hashiba," Shuten seethed.

"And I'm supposed to find those five again? Please." Rajura tossed his white hair over his shoulder. "I'd much rather set a trap for them."

"Then why don't you!" Anubisu roared.

"Fine! I will!" Rajura pointed his horse south. "If they're going to Lilimundralle like I think they are, they'll head for Peace. And I'll be there waiting for them." He spurred his spotted horse and headed off, grabbing one of the pack horses as he left.

"I need to get to Sthiss before my plans there fall completely apart," Naaza hissed. "Come on, Anubisu. I still need your help with some of it." Naaza's mountain pony and Anubisu's pitch black mount disappeared, also taking some pack horses.

Shuten let out a long sigh. That left him with nowhere to really go. Fine. He may be a city boy, but he could try and find the trail of the Troopers and follow them. If they went by boat, they'd probably cross the Bread River at around one of its tributaries, rather than crossing a tributary and then the river itself. He could pick up the trail there. It wouldn't be too hard. After all, he'd had one of the best educations in Hashiba before he was marked.

Really. He could do it.

* * *

Touma let out a long sigh. They had finally reached Bread River. Everyone had been traveling almost silently for the past two weeks since they had left Daasa Laska, mainly because they knew that elves were most likely watching or listening. Everyone had been tense as a result. Touma was certain that nobody had gotten much sleep over the past few days. About the only one who was truly relaxed was Shin, most likely because of their little boat ride. It was almost like the young monk-sir had become a new person. He was energetic and lively, rivaling Shuu in jokes and humor. It was the only thing that had seemed to make the journey through the Korin Forest bearable.

The river, however, was close to a mile wide, and was known to be quite deep, though very gently flowing. To make matters worse, there wasn't any sort of ferryman around to take them across. Touma was starting to feel about as blue as his hair. They didn't even know where in Lilimundralle they were going, since Ryo wasn't very talkative with the possibility of someone overhearing. They also never found out why Ryo had some special instructions for Seiji's little sister Satsuki. It was the prospect of finally making it to Lilimundralle that had helped ease everyone's questions. But now, with Bread river spread out in front of them, things didn't look as good as the hoped.

Ryo, however, was looking rather pleased with himself. In fact, he was pulling off his shirt and boots, handing his twin swords up to Shuu, who looked as surprised as the rest of them.

"What are you doing?" Seiji plainly stated.

"There's a ferryman at the other side of the river," Ryo replied, ignoring the chill breeze, the only remnants of the winter despite the fact that it was late spring.

"This close to the Korin Forest?" Seiji's ears were twitching again.

"Yup," the disciple answered. "Every so often I need passage into these woods, so I use his ferry. Elves do the same when they're going home."

"Elves have actually left their woods?" Shin asked, confused.

"Indeed," Touma stated. This much, at least, he did know. "Usually you can find elves in Sthiss, trying to do something about one of the few non-human species remaining."

"I knew that they would normally cross Bread River," Seiji stated slowly, "since it is not something we like to be widely known, but how did you know of this ferryman, and how do you know we are so close to him?"

Ryo smiled. "I helped them start their business, quite a few centuries ago. In return, I usually get a free ride, but I do try to pay them. Sometimes they'll accept, sometimes they won't. Elves are their usual passengers, so sometimes extra money is needed." The red-clad young man's smile grew as he walked to the river. "I'm known to be generous with my money. I usually don't have to worry about it too much."

"So what are you doing now?" Touma asked, watching Ryo enter the water.

"I'm going to get the ferryman so we can cross. I might be a while." The tiger-eyed youth who was so much older than he looked observed the early afternoon sun. "I might not be able to return until morning with the ferryman. See you then!"

"Wait a minute!" the four frustrated and not-fully-informed ones shouted.

Together, they watched Ryo swim strongly out into the river. Looking dumbly at each other, wondering what to do, Touma dismounted and started to pull things off the pack horses.

"We might as well set up camp for the night," he said. "One more night in these woods won't be so terrible."

The others dismounted as well and started to set a camp, looking across the river frequently.

Once camp was set up, the horses fed, brushed down, and tied, Seiji made a statement that took a huge weight off of everyone's shoulders. "The elves are gone."

"No more watching us?" Shuu asked, already pulling out his sparring staff.

"Yes," the dishonored Korin elf replied, pulling out his sparring wand. "I have needed to release what I've had to keep under control since entering these woods."

"I hear you," the Lugan replied, already circling Seiji. "I've wanted to spar for weeks now."

"I warn you," Seiji cautioned. "I will not be the same as I was before, when sparring."

"So?"

Shin and Touma looked at each other, pulled their own sparring weapons from their packs, and sat down to observe.

Shuu and Seiji circled each other for quite a few minutes, gauging each other's pent up need to release. Seiji, oddly enough, was the first to strike, driving his wand forward and landing it hard on Shuu's sturdy staff. Shuu was able to use one arm to hold the staff as he blocked, but he surprised Seiji by sliding the staff and wand aside and landing a good solid, though light, punch to Seiji's jaw. The light elf would have none of that, and in one swift motion dropped to a crouch, brought out a leg, and kicked Shuu's legs out from under him. Quickly standing again, Seiji brought his sword to Shuu again, but the large Lugan was able to block easily. Getting his feet under him, Shuu easily hefted Seiji off of him and took a defensive stance.

"Is strength giving way to speed?" Seiji mocked, acid dripping from his voice. Though Touma had a sneaking suspicion that Seiji's tone was one he took with his older sister.

Shuu said nothing but held his stance. Seiji rushed forward, feinting to the left and then tapping his wooden wand to Shuu's exposed side. He quickly dropped, again kicking Shuu's feet out from under him. Shuu, in response, rolled aside, quickly getting to his feet. Unfortunately, the Korin elf had already landed a tap on the Lugan's exposed back. Shuu, turned and sung his staff low, an imitation of Seiji's maneuver and this time brought Seiji's legs out from under him, bringing his staff to Seiji's neck.

"I think strength beats speed this time," he said easily. "You're just releasing anger and don't have as much focus as normal. You might prefer fighting Touma next. I'll take Shin."

Touma and Shin looked to each other again. Neither was looking forward to what two release-needing warriors would do to them. Letting out a collective sigh, both stood.

Touma circled around Seiji. He had seen Shuu's point. Seiji wasn't as fast as he normally was, and his moves were a little more predictable. He seemed to favor kicking legs during this sparring session, so Touma thought on how he might be able to avoid that. He didn't have much time; as his Korin adversary immediately thrust his wooden sword forward, taking the offensive. Touma took several steps back, barely dodging and blocking Seiji's wand with his own wooden knives. But an idea was already in Touma's mind. He could actually take the blonde elf down fairly quickly.

As he continued to dodge, he let out a soft whistle. Within a minute, Touma's hawk was flapping in Seiji's face, not using her talons, thankfully. The Hashiban prince tackled Seiji to the ground and put one of his wooden knives to the elf's throat.

"Well done," Seiji complimented as Touma's hawk landed on his shoulder.

"Seiji, if you need to vent," the prince said, feeding a small piece of meat to his hawk, "pick on Shin. His defense will last the longest against you."

The light elf nodded, and both turned to watch Shin and Shuu spar. Shin was actually doing fairly well. His defensive nature forced Shuu to be on the attack. While the big Lugan did land several taps, the damage that would have been done if it was a real fight was minimal, since Shin would instantly hit his friend's staff away. In effect, Shuu was only doing light bruising to Shin, whose tight defense was better than it was before. Once he had the opportunity, Shin lunged forward, lightly pushing the heavy part of his spear to Shuu's chest.

"You got me licked," Shuu laughed. "You've gotten better."

The priest chuckled, "I'm still not up to par with what I used to be. Almost though."

Touma looked to the sun, which had almost finished setting. Food would have to be ready soon. Shuu started to circle around him, but Touma didn't pay attention. Someone needed to start cooking. He went to the packs and started to pull out some of their cooking utensils and prayed he'd be able to get a fire going. Ryo always made making fires look so blasted easy.

Shuu pulled out some rice from one of their packs, as well as some of the boar meat that was still remaining. Wordlessly, they started to cook their meal and watch Seiji and Shin spar. It didn't look like the match was going to end anytime soon. Seiji's fast movements couldn't get through Shin's tight defense, and Shin knew enough that Seiji needed a long venting period, so he didn't strike back.

True to their thinking, the fight lasted well past sunset. Touma and Shuu managed to get a fire started and supper cooked. It looked very dance-like, Shin twirling his staff around almost like a baton, and Seiji with clever footwork and graceful thrusts. Seiji even once managed to leap up over Shin in order to tap him from behind.

The battle did end, however. Seiji crouched to slide his legs under Shin, but, expecting the move, Shin leapt aside. Seiji planned for that, however, and thrust his sword to where Shin landed, tripping the monk. Seiji dove on top of his opponent before Shin could recover and held his wooden sword to Shin's throat while knocking the staff aside. Both were panting, well beyond out of breath, and sweating from the excursion.

"Can . . . you . . . get off . . . me," Shin managed to breath.

"As . . . soon as . . . I can move," Seiji replied.

"Anyone like dinner?" Touma asked.

* * *

Early the following morning, Shin took advantage of the fact that he was up before the others. The river would be chill, but he wanted to take a bath desperately. They had been traveling for almost six weeks, and their short stay in Daasa Laska didn't really give them an opportunity to properly clean themselves.

Walking to his pack, he pulled out an overly large bar of soap that he was grateful he had the foresight to bring. He stripped down and dove into the water, savoring the chill around him and letting the water recharge him as it had done when he swam in the river before entering Daasa Laska. When he surfaced, he gave himself a good scrub down, stripping away what felt like several layers of sweat and dirt. After that, he dressed in one of his spare sets of clothes and set about cleaning the sets clothes he had been traveling in. By now the sun was starting to rise, and Shin noticed that Seiji was up and watching him.

"What are you doing?" the elf asked.

"Doing some overdue cleaning," the monk replied.

"You bring up a good point," Seiji murmured.

"I have enough soap. Would you like to as well?"

"I am afraid," the blond turned, a pinkish hue coming to his cheeks, "that it has never been required of me," not pink, more like bright red, "to do such things."

"In other words," Shin summed up, "you don't know how to wash your own clothes."

Seiji's red cheeks brightened.

"Give me your laundry," the priest sounded more like a mother.

"Laundry?" came a sleepy voice. Seiji and Shin turned to see Shuu rubbing the sand from his eyes. "C'n you do mine? Too tired to do it now."

Shin smiled lightly. "Alright. I might as well do Touma's as well. On one condition though. All of you should take a bath."

Shuu mumbled something and slid back to bed. Seiji gathered the clothes that needed cleaning, gave them to Shin, and then went downriver to bath. The monk-turned-mother went about the laundry, as he had done as a child when his mother was sick and his sister was working. The sun was full up and warming them when he finally finished putting the clothes on low hanging branches to dry. It was about time to work on breakfast. Seiji spent a long time in the water, just as Shin had done, but when he returned to the fire and the smell of Shin starting breakfast, he looked greatly refreshed.

"Feel better?" Shin asked a smile on his lips.

The Korin elf laughed heartily. "I believe that you know the answer to that."

"I thought so."

Seiji was not the only one to make an appearance for breakfast. Shuu smelled something cooking, and, as usual, got up. "Shin! You're cooking again! That's great!"

"No food for you," the cook stated calmly.

"What!"

"Not until you take your bath."

"Huh?"

"In exchange for doing your laundry, you are to take a bath," Seiji supplied. "You said so earlier."

Shuu scratched his head. "I remember you saying you'd wash my clothes for me, but when did I say I'd take a bath? Not that I mind taking one. But won't the water be a little too chill for that?"

"No," Seiji replied. "Not as chill as going without breakfast."

"Good point." Shuu got out of his bedroll and headed downriver as Seiji had earlier.

Shin continued to get breakfast while Seiji sat in a spot completely engulfed in sunlight and bathed in the light. Things were relatively quiet for a good while as Shuu took his own long overdue bath. When he came back, breakfast was almost ready and he happily sat down and let his mouth water.

"Touma," the monk nudged the sleeping prince. "Touma, wake up."

"Go 'way, uncle," the bedroll mumbled.

Shin raised an eyebrow, but continued to press. "Touma," he said sternly, sounding motherly again, "now I am certainly _not_ your uncle. Get up now, or you won't have any breakfast."

"Breakf'st?"

"Yes, now get up. You have to take a bath before I'll let you eat it."

"Huh?" Touma sounded rather like Shuu at the moment.

Getting tired of repeating himself, Shin got up and pulled Touma's bedroll off.

"Hey!"

"Good, you're awake." The blue mantled priest sat back down and started to dish out some of the food he'd been cooking. "You have to take a bath before you can eat."

"What?"

"Shuu, Seiji and I made a deal. I would do all of our laundry, which I did this morning, and the three of you would take a bath, like I did this morning."

"You've been through my clothes!" Touma turned an interesting shade of pink and was now fully awake.

"It's no big deal," Shin answered, giving a full bowl to a ravenous Shuu. "I've had to do my family's laundry for years before I started working."

"My clothes?"

"Don't be so sensitive," Seiji stated, taking his bowl from Shin. "Women tend to have a great deal more trouble with men looking through their clothes."

Touma appeared to want to say something, but let the subject drop. "I'll go down to the river."

"Wise decision," Seiji calmly stated, sipping the tea that Shin had made for breakfast.

"Ne, Shin," Shuu asked, "If we're going on a cleaning spree, we should probably whack some of the dirt out of our bedrolls."

"A very good idea," the monk replied. "Why don't you go do that? Just be careful around the trees while you're cleaning. I don't think the trees would appreciate you hitting them instead of the bedrolls."

Shuu looked to Shin. "How often did you have to be a mother for your family?"

To emphasize his point, said priest answered, "Now run along." Shuu and Seiji ended up on the ground rolling in laughter, Shin barely keeping a straight face. By now, Touma had returned from his bath, looking very pleased, despite his earlier embarrassment. Shin dished out the prince's breakfast and handed it over. "I don't suppose any of you have an idea as to when Ryo will return this morning, do you?"

"Nope," Shuu said, still chuckling. "I'll get to the bedrolls now."

"Huh?" Poor Touma was still a day late and an ohash short.

"The mercenary brings up a point," Seiji interjected, putting down his bowl and getting up. "We should do some cleaning after traveling for so long. I will lead the horses to the river and give them a proper bath."

"Thank you," replied Shin. "I will also clean all the cooking instruments."

"Well," Touma added, "if today is about cleaning, I can clean some weapons. Polish them. We haven't really had to time to for the past few weeks."

Shin nodded, going to his pack and pulling out his large spear. "Thank you very much, Touma."

Seiji, by contrast, hesitated before handing over his sword. Shin regarded the Korin elf for a moment before gathering the cooking supplies and heading towards the river. The elves weren't watching, and it was a way for Seiji to show that he trusted the humans he had been surrounded by. Shin understood that much. There were probably some more underlying subtleties, but he didn't want to pry.

So together, everyone underwent a morning of cleaning. It was an unexpected divergence from what they would normally do, and was quite a surprise and a well-deserved break from the routine of getting up and traveling.

However, by midmorning, everyone was starting to get worried. Ryo still wasn't back.

"Where is he?" Shuu grumbled, swinging his staff in a solitary practice.

Shin sighed and looked up from where he was starting to cook their lunch. "He never did say when exactly in the morning he would return."

"He probably couldn't say for sure," added Touma, "since he didn't know how long it would take to swim over and then find the ferry man. They might not even be able to start the journey until this morning."

Seiji sipped the tea that Shin had kept warm from breakfast. "There are too many unknowns to guess."

With a shrill cry, Touma's hawk glided in, landing next to the Tenkuu descendant.

"Girl? Is something wrong?" The hawk's head twitched and she flapped her wings. "There's a boat on the river?"

The hawk shifted her weight.

"That's great!"

Nobody needed to ask Touma what the hawk had said. Sure enough, a call was heard in the distance.

"Ho! The shore!"

Shin smiled. Even though the ferryman traveled the river and not the open seas, he talked like any other sailor he knew.

"Ho the boat!" he called, cupping his hands to his mouth. "Do you see our fire's smoke?"

"Yes! How's the shore over there?" was a distant reply.

"Smooth coming in!" Shin answered. "You'll have to anchor a little farther out!"

"Fine! See you in a bit!"

"Until then!"

Seiji got up to make a move to start packing, but Shin stopped him.

"Will we not be going on the ship?" the elf asked.

"We will," Shin answered, "but that ferryman probably hasn't had anything to eat for a while. I'm already making lunch, so it would be polite for us to offer him some."

"But aren't we in a hurry?" Shuu questioned.

"Yes," Touma replied, "and we also don't want any more enemies that we need."

"Good point."


	11. Daasa Laska 10

Shuu watched as a small boat large enough for two men and a horse rowed to shore. Manning the oars was an older man, easily into his forth decade, maybe even his fifth, but still had a twinkle in his eye. As the man's boat finally beached itself, the man gave a grunt and stood up.

"You must be the passengers Ryo's awaiting for." The men held out his hand. "Name's Sekijirou. I'll take you t' other side o' Bread here."

"Captain Sekijirou," Shin smiled, taking the old man's hands. "If you would like, I have just finished preparing some lunch."

"Sounds good," the seaman replied. "But you'll have to bring it. M' son's lookin' after the ship right now. Don't want to leave him alone to long."

"I understand."

They all made their introductions and headed, one by one, to the boat. Shuu made sure he was the last to go, stomping out their cook fire and keeping the last pack horse calm on the boat. When he got aboard, he found the others were below deck in the small room that was separate from the horses.

"Hey guys! We're all set to go."

Touma turned and shushed him.

"Huh?"

"Ryo's here and is sleeping." The prince turned to the bunk where Ryo's sleeping form did indeed lay.

"Ryo? Why?" the Lugan asked, his voice softer than before.

Seiji kept his voice quite, answering "According to Sekijirou-san's son, Ryo pounded on their door late last night soaked straight through. He explained the situation, but has been sleeping since they set sail this morning."

"With good reason," Sekijirou explained, coming down the steps. "That water was cold last night. We had a li'l bit of a rain last night on our end of the shore. The fact that he even found t' place's amazing."

Shin was dishing out the lunch he had cooked and gave Ryo's bowl to the captain. "Here. Ryo is rather amazing by his nature."

The old captain sat down, or rather fell down to the bunk across from Ryo. "Yup. Think that's t' same man I saw 's a kid needin' passage to Roanoke."

"It is the Korin Forest," Seiji corrected. Out of habit Shuu believed.

"Name's a name. Don't change a place. T' think that young man started our business all those years ago."

A young man knocked at the top of the stairs. "Dad, I think we should get going now."

"Youngsters' always in a rush. Come down here boy. We got a proper lunch. Shouldn't let it get to waste."

The young man took a long sniff. "You just might be right. Smells like when Ma was still around."

"You need to be getting' your own Ma soon." The young man blushed, but took a bowl of Shin's rice and fish.

"Think this is the first time Ryo here's ever needed passage f' friends," Sekijirou continued. "Always travels alone. No horses. No people. Just him 'n his pack."

"That oddly sounds just like him," Shuu murmured. "He's not really much of a people person. He's got a big heart and all, but he's not used to having us around." He looked to his three friends who were looking at him surprised.

"Well think about it. He's got a lot of trouble when it comes to what he can and can't tell us. He tries to be as honest as he can, but it can't always be that way and that puts him in a bind." Shuu took a large spoonful of his rice. "He does his best to keep us happy, but underneath it all he usually is worried that he's doing the right thing."

"You do have a point," Shin quietly muttered. "He tries so hard to give us what he needs that he forgets about himself."

"Hey," a voice said from the bed. "I'm awake you know. And hungry."

"Ryo!"

Sitting up, Ryo wrapped the blanket around himself. "I didn't think there would be rain on that side of the river." He shivered. "Shin, that smells like fish. Could I have some?"

"Certainly." Shin took out a dish and handed it over to Ryo.

"Captain," Ryo continued. "You and your son can now get started. We can't sit here all day."

"Got a point," Sekijirou agreed. "Come on, Suichirou. We got work to do."

"Sure Dad."

Father and son finished their meals and headed above deck.

"If you don't mind," Shin started, "I'd like to join them."

"Still connected with the seas?" Shuu asked.

"Need I reply?" The monk went up the stairs.

"I'll join them," Touma offered, looking a little green.

With room to actually sit down now, Shuu pulled a stool over to Ryo and Seiji sat down where the captain had.

"How are you doing?" the elf asked.

Ryo shivered in his blanket. "Cold. Tired. But overall, I'm fine." The disciple let out a loud sneeze.

Seiji's ears twitched. "Are you sure?"

Shuu knew what Seiji was getting at and put his hand to Ryo's forehead, pushing aside his damp bangs.

"You've got a slight fever, Ryo," he informed his friend. "I'm willing to bet you've now got a cold."

Not liking that one bit, Ryo cursed under his breath. It was going to be a long trip to shore.

* * *

Once on shore, Ryo watched as Seiji shifted some of the packs to leave one of the pack horses free.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You have stated that you are tired. You are also sick. You will ride." Seiji's tone left no room for arguments.

Ryo had to admit, riding might not be a bad idea. He could sleep on the horse, on their way. No wait, they didn't know which way they were heading. And they would need to refresh their supplies. And they were probably also getting low on money. And he needed to find some herbs to cook up some medicine. Sleep wasn't much of an option right now. He'd be better off walking. That would keep him awake.

"No thanks," he finally said, sniffling. "I can walk."

"You've got a cold. It will get worse if we don't tend to it. It requires rest."

"But . . ."

"Hey, Seiji!" Touma called over. "Do you have any money?"

"No," Seiji replied. "Why?"

The prince walked over. "Shuu noticed this morning that we were getting low on supplies. We're pooling our money right now. Sekijirou says that there's a trading post a couple of miles south of here, but we're sort of low on money as well." Touma rubbed the back of his neck. "In our rush to leave Tou Hashiba, I forgot to pull some money for this trip."

Ryo coughed. "It's alright," he said. Walking over to the pack horse that had his stuff, he pulled out his wallet. "That should help with the money. I can refill when we get to my home. That's about two weeks from here."

"We're going to your home?" Touma asked. "Aren't we supposed to be on a quest?"

"We are," Ryo agreed, "but we need to get a few things from my home that'll help."

"Alright," the Tenkuu muttered, opening up Ryo's wallet. He whistled. "You say we need to refill when we get to your house? With this much? Are you sure?"

Ryo chuckled. "I'm willing to bet there will be a lot of expenses by the time we're done."

Touma looked at him, but went back to the others. Well, it looked like he wouldn't have to worry about money or supplies. Touma and Shuu seemed to have that under control. But he still had to find some herbs and lead them home. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't sensed anyone coming. His head felt so foggy. Argh, of all the times to get a cold!

"Ryo," Shin softly said. "Get on the horse. We can take care of you for a change."

Ryo thought about it. He could give them some directions when he was awake. After all, he knew Lilimundralle like the back of his hand. Seiji, as an elf, would probably know what plants to get. Maybe, for once, he didn't have to do all the worrying. Maybe, just once, he could be sick and let someone else take care of him.

Foggy brain no good. He had a responsibility to his friends. He couldn't let them down.

But he was already mounting the horse. He was so tired right now. The fur wasn't as soft. Oh well. He could still lean forward and relax. Yeah, this was nice. He just wished the fur was softer, and more like . . . Ryo fell fast asleep.

* * *

When Ryo woke up the next morning; they were approaching the trading post that Sekijirou had mentioned. It must have been new, since it wasn't there last time he was in the area. Granted, that was quite a few decades ago, but that didn't matter. His head was still foggy, and he couldn't breathe that well.

He dismounted with the rest of them.

"So," Shuu started. "What do we need?"

"Food," Shin said first. "All we have left is rice, and we're running low on it. We could probably use some dried fruits or vegetables, bread, and cheese. Since this is farmland, we can't really hunt for food. Some meat would be a good idea then."

"Be light on the meat," Touma added. "Meat is usually most expensive, and I don't want it to appear that we're rich. Then they'll charge us even more."

"Don't worry, Touma," Shuu assured him. "I know how to haggle."

"I've had some experience myself in that department," Ryo agreed.

They ignored him.

"We also need some medicinal herbs," Seiji informed Shuu. "I can mix a powder which should help ease Ryo's symptoms."

"Anything in particular?"

Seiji listed them.

Ryo tapped Shuu's shoulder.

"Ryo," the big Lugan stated firmly, "you should be resting."

Chuckling, Ryo added to Shuu's shopping list. "We need some wax for our weapons, food for the horses, and some of you could probably use some new shoes." Shuu looked down to his well-worn boots.

"Hehe, they have been getting a little drafty. But I don't think there's a cobbler around here."

"Something to think about then."

Shuu and Touma entered the shop while the other three sat outside and let their horses rest. Most likely, the haggling would take a good while. It always did. Ryo leaned back against the hitching post and took a deep breath. It made sense that Shuu could haggle prices down. He would undoubtedly be in charge of supplies if he was ever hired. Since he would most likely have a strict budget, haggling just might be second nature to him. Actually, things were going pretty well, all things considered. Ryo relaxed and fell asleep again.

* * *

He was awoken by a hand shaking his shoulder, and he looked at Shin's large sea-colored eyes. Was it afternoon already?

"We're ready to go Ryo. Come on. Back onto your horse."

Ryo yawned and stretched, suppressing a cough. He also noted that the pack horses were a little laden down.

"I think I can walk from here," Ryo stated, his voice clearer than it had been. "We shouldn't burden the horses like that."

"Are you sure?" Seiji asked from his gold and white pinto.

"We may not travel as far, but that would be the case anyway with these horses." He looked through the packs. "It looks like you got everything. Did we end up paying much?"

Touma mounted his white stallion. Come to think of it, the horses looked rather good. They must have been fed and brushed. "Shuu was remarkable," he said. "I've never seen someone who could finagle prices like that. We were able to get everything at almost half the price I thought we'd end up paying."

"That makes sense," Ryo said from below, already leading them down the road toward the south. "Shuu most likely would have had to haggle on an even stricter budget from the people that hired him." He paused, sneezed, and then continued. "Touma is also good with finances because he's been trained in them since he was a little boy."

"Well I am supposed to be the next 'Head of the Bank, Smartest of Accountants, the Fountain of Gold, Hashiba no O-sama'," he muttered darkly. Ryo let out a long sigh. Maybe after they made it home Touma would fix his outlook of his future. At least it wouldn't be long.

"Don't be so upset, Touma," Shuu laughed, reaching over and slapping the prince on the back. "After everything that happened in Hashiba, what'd you expect?"

"Did something happen?" Ryo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Touma's face darkened and Shuu laughed good-naturedly. "The guy taking our money asked if Touma was the 'indebted prince'."

Oh dear. That wasn't good.

* * *

That evening, once camp was set up, Ryo was beat. He'd walked all day while being sick before, but it never felt good. His head was clear for a while when he was walking, but it was getting fuzzy again. Really fuzzy. His ears were clogged, and anything he heard was muffled. His nose was so far gone; he didn't bother trying to breathe through it. He suppressed his coughs pretty well, but he was just sick and tired of it all. When Shin offered to take care of the horses like Ryo normally would, he didn't even put up a token resistance. He plopped down where Touma was attempting to start a fire. Ryo didn't really want to start the fire this evening since he had doubts on whether he could do it or not at the moment. He hated being sick. It muddled all his senses so he couldn't trust himself to be able to do little things like starting a cook fire. He knew that his friends were doing things around him, and that he was eating his dinner, but he was so trapped in his own head, he couldn't pay enough attention.

Okay. Enough of this. He needed to take some medicine. Seiji had gotten the herbs back at the trading post. But his feet were too sore. He was so far into his own head that he couldn't move. This was bad. Ryo really hated having a cold. He really, really, really hated it.

"Ryo."

Ryo did hear his name. It did register. It just took him a moment to turn to the source of his name. Seiji's bright coloring greeted him.

"Yes?"

"Ryo, here's some of the medicine." Looking down, Ryo saw a cup of hot tea. It looked delicious.

"Powder's in the tea?" he asked.

"Yes. Drink it. Then go to sleep. Your cold will be better in the morning if you do. We can double horses. I don't think you should walk for a few days."

"I can walk." Ryo sipped the tea. "I don't want to over burden the horses. They're going to have to support us for a good while."

"You know," Shuu said from across the fire. "You can pull that trick that you did when you broke us out of Hashiba if you're so concerned about the horses."

"Huh?" three confused voices questioned.

Shuu chuckled, a hand running through his hair. "Well, in order to get us out of our cells, I saw Ryo turn into a mouse and crawl right through the bars."

The three confused ones turned to Ryo.

"I'm a Rekka," he said quietly, still sipping his tea. It felt so good going down. Warmed him right up. He looked to his friends and they still looked confused. "That's right," he muttered. "Rekka isn't the word anymore. I think I'd be called a 'shape-shifter' today. Back when I was born it was Rekka. So many words have changed over the years." He took another sip of his tea, relishing the taste. "You've got a point Shuu." Ryo finished off his tea. "Sounds very good."

Ryo thought briefly about what to be while sick. Something small so that it wouldn't be burdensome to the horses, but large enough to hold onto so he wouldn't fall off either. A cat sounded good. With a brief thought, Ryo shifted into a small gray-striped cat and curled up in his blankets. This was comfortable. He could sleep for a while like this.

* * *

Four very surprised chosen ones looked at the cat that had once been a human.

"That explains why his chi keeps disappearing," Seiji muttered.

* * *

Shuten thought the spring rains would be long over with, but no. Now he had the summer showers. The warm air was damp, and his brown horse was tired from the continual pushing Shuten called for. But he refused to stop until he knew that he found where the Troopers had crossed the Bread River. He continued to follow the current east, looking for any signs of a camp or tracks. The rain continued to pelt at his light waterproof. He had traded his heavier overcoat for it at Pou Hashiba.

The rain suddenly let up. Shuten must have finally passed the edge of the rain cloud. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked up to the grey clouds. Anubisu had said that rain washed away tracks. He hoped it wasn't so bad this time. He needed a break, and badly.

Shuten continued to scan the fields as he followed the river. How the hell could that Yami do this on a regular basis? It required so much concentration power and eye coordination. He had to look at the ground for seven sets of horse tracks that may or may not have crossed the river at this point. The Kitsune scoffed. Let him handle finances and tax forms anytime, it was better than this.

Snorting, Shuten continued to ride until he came across a shack of a home almost at the edge of Bread River. There was a dock, and a boat large enough to hold the seven animals. Shuten would never know if there were tracks, the rain had washed them away. But wait; there was a man on the boat.

The redhead grinned and urged his tired mount just a little faster.

"Ho! The boat!" he called.

"Ho there!" the man on the boat said. "I'll be with you in a moment!" Shuten waited, looking around. The house was not the shack he had initially thought. There was a boy on the far side, waxing the hull of a rowboat. The windows of the home were clean, if small, and the wood shingled roof was held down with rocks.

"Yes, sir," the old man said. "Name's Sekijirou. What can I do you for?"

"I was looking for a small traveling party," Shuten said. "I have very important information for them, but lost them in the Roanoke."

"What's the group look like, lad?" the man asked his face warm.

Shuten loved it when he saw a sucker. "Well, one of them had blue hair. One was an elf. There was a mercenary person, and a priest. One of the members was Sanada Ryo."

"Oh, them!" The gullible Sekijirou laughed. "You're behind by quite a little ways. They used my ferry near on five days ago."

Shuten blinked. Jackpot! "Really? I have to get this information to them; do you know which way they headed?"

"Due south," Sekijirou replied. "I think they're headed for Ryo's home, if that helps."

Shuten decided to puzzle the thought of a god's disciple having a home that wasn't an austerely decorated palace, since he knew there were no castles or palaces in Lilimundralle, not even in its capital, Peace. "It gives me great encouragement. I will trouble you no further." Shuten reached down and shook the man's hand. Sekijirou smiled warmly, completely oblivious to the fact that the Kitsune had picked his pocket.

Giving a final nod, Shuten pushed his mount south. Once out of site, he picked through his winnings. A healthy amount of golds! Sanada Ryo must pay well to his servants. Shuten smirked. He could double this in the next town or trader's station, and have enough expenses to make it to Peace.

The cards were favoring him.

* * *

Shin looked down to the gray-striped cat that was nestled on his saddle with what could only be called utter disbelief. Nowhere had he ever read in all the documents about the great disciple Ryo that he was a shape shifter. The scrolls always mentioned that Ryo was good with animals and that animals would often help him in various tasks that he needed to perform, but it appeared that they were all wrong. Ryo didn't have an army of four legged friends at his commands, he was the army himself!

The gray bundle in his saddle stirred momentarily, yawning and stretching before curling back up again.

That was another thing. How was he supposed to treat Ryo now that he was in this form? Did he treat Ryo like he would a human, or did he treat Ryo like he would a cat? This was so confusing. He wasn't sure he wanted Ryo to stay as a cat for very much longer.

"Seiji?" Shin asked.

"Yes?"

"How long do you think it will be before-ah-Ryo here will be over his cold and back to walking beside us?"

Seiji paused, his ears twitching momentarily. "The medicine I gave him would help if he slept for a day or so. However, since he has changed form, I do not know how things will affect him."

Just great.

Shuu reined up beside them. "Shin, don't you know anything?"

"Huh?"

"Here, let me show you." The large Lugan reached over and picked up the cat, er, Ryo and placed him in the nook of his arm. Ryo let out a startled mew, but relaxed in Shuu's large arms. Letting go of his reins, trusting his horse to follow the others, Shuu started to stroke Ryo's fur and rubbed under his furry chin. In response to the gentle touch, Ryo started to purr contentedly.

Shin, Seiji, and Touma looked in shock.

"Shuu," Touma stated, "you're treating him like a cat."

"For now he is."

"He's not a cat. He's human."

"No, he's a-what did he call it-he's a Rekka. He isn't just human," Shuu calmly explained, still stroking the gray bundle sleeping in his arms. "So he probably has the same wants that animals sometimes have, depending on what form he's in."

Shin shook his head. This was just too much. Touma stroked his own hawk, which was looking very curiously at the sleeping Ryo.

* * *

Touma stroked his hawk, looking curiously at Ryo, who was better and now walking beside them. It was odd to think that for two days, their friend had been a small cat. While he had understood back in Hashiba that Ryo was not just any Ryo but _the_ Ryo of legend, he had never seen the Kaosan disciple do any miracles. Yet that cat had looked rather like Ryo.

Yet, he was the prince of Hashiba, so of course he should have reasoned that out and not minded unexpected things, given his uncle. Touma's thoughts turned sour. He really did not like being prince. It wasn't that he was a spoiled prince; it was just that his uncle did not leave him with very good visions of how he would be when he once his coronation was over. It didn't help that his people rallied around him.

Sighing, Touma stroked his hawk again, who affectionately nipped at his fingertips.

"Good. We're almost there," Ryo said from below them.

"Oh?" Seiji asked. "We are almost at your home?"

"Yup. There's a cabin up ahead. We'll spend the night there."

"The home owners will let us?" Shin questioned

"Yup. I have an arrangement with the family. They pay me a rather low rent for living in my cabin and farming on my land. In exchange, when I drop by, I collect the rent, which is our traveling money, and can stay free of charge. They also have to keep one section of my land under nature's control. They can't touch it."

"How long have you had this arrangement?" Shuu asked.

"Oh I've been a friend of the family for about five generations now."

Touma shook his head. Ryo was just one surprise after another.

In the distance, down the long sloping hill there was indeed a log cabin. Though it seemed well maintained and didn't look that old, it had an ancient feel about the place. Touma's hawk seemed to fancy a large oak tree that was by the cabin, covering part of it with its large branches, and flew up to the tree's heights. On the other side of the tree was a barn of moderate size that didn't have the same aura of the house. It must have been a newer addition.

"Ryo-sama!" came a voice from the door of the cabin as they approached. Only the pronunciation of Ryo's name was way off.

"Ah! Masamune-san!" Ryo walked over and hugged the young man. "Please drop the sama. I haven't seen you since you were a baby! How's the family?"

"My mother's still around, helping with the kids."

"You're married?"

"Yup. Three kids now. Wife's visiting her mother in a neighboring town with them, so you'll have some quiet. Your room's ready."

"Thanks. What about my friends here?"

Masamune looked over to all of them, somewhat surprised. "Ryo-sama, I don't think you've brought people with you before. I don't know if we have the room."

Touma ran a hand through his hair after he dismounted with the others. Somehow, this wasn't what he expected when Ryo said they were going to his home.

"Actually, yes you do," Ryo smiled enigmatically. "I've always had room for them, ever since I made this cabin a long time ago."

Masamune raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'd like to see it. The kids are a little cramped."

"Well I made the rooms with eight in mind, but it looks like I've only got four." Ryo showed them around to the back of the house. "It's probably a little dusty after the years, but I think it will be suitable." Ryo was talking more to the four of them than he was to Masamune.

"Ryo-sama. There's nothing in the back of the cabin."

Ryo leaned forward to the ground, whipping some of it away. After a few inches of dirt, there was a large metal ring, hooked to some sort of door.

"You have rooms under the cabin?" Masamune was surprised. But he had nothing on the other four, who weren't expecting Ryo's home to have rooms made for them. And what "four others" was he talking about?

A flicker of fire came to Ryo's fingertip, startling everyone as they took a step back. The fire jumped to the ground and spread, burning away the soil to reveal a door. Smiling, Ryo opened the door and lit a candle that was by the apparent stairs that were there. Together, everyone went down the steps.

The room was small, but it wasn't overly noticeable. There was room for four beds a fireplace that undoubtedly was connected to the fireplace in the actual cabin, and a wardrobe that most likely wouldn't fit all of their clothes. The walls were partially supported by roots of the large oak tree that came through the room, yet not disturbing the small space too much. It was indeed dusty, but Ryo's fingers lit with fire again and the flames engulfed the room, burning away the dust, but leaving the room itself untouched. There was a door at the far side, which was most likely were four other beds would be housed.

"I'm sorry my room isn't here as well," Ryo apologized. "I actually live in the attic of the cabin, so as not to interfere with the family."

Everyone was staring at him in shock.

"What?"

Touma sat down on a bed, setting his pack down and put his head into his hands. Not surprisingly, the bed was warm. "Ryo, this is the first time we've seen you do real maho. Why else do you think we're surprised?"

"Didn't you figure that out yet?" the tiger-eyed man replied.

Several things clicked in Touma's head. He looked up in shock. "You've been openly displaying maho around us for a specific reason, haven't you?"

Ryo nodded, a way-too-bright smile on his face.

"You said back in the Korin Forest that you had fire maho, but you only displayed it now. You show us that you're a Rekka only a few days ago, though I don't think that was meant. You said we had to come to your home to pick something up. We're not getting anything; you're going to teach us to use maho ourselves!"

Several jaws hit the floor.

"You mean," Shin started, taking a bed to sit down as well in shock, "that starting tomorrow, we'll be learning maho? And you're going to teach us?"

"Not exactly," Ryo said, that annoying smile still on his face. "I'll help you, but you can't access your maho through me."

"Then who?" Shuu asked.

Touma paled. "Kaosu-sama."

Forget jaws. Whole persons were on the floor now.

"We're meeting a _god_ tomorrow!"

"Kaosu! We're going to meet Kaosu-sama!"

"Watch your language, Shuu!"

"How are we supposed to act!"

Masamune, however, was still by the door.

"Ryo-sama," he asked hesitantly. "Do you want your rent now, or later?"

Ryo looked at the four shocked stupid future students.

"I think now might be a good thing."

* * *

That evening's dinner proved to be very interesting indeed. Masamune proved to be a fairly good cook and they all sat down to a properly made meal for the first time since Tou Hashiba or earlier. And as much as the meal was appreciated and complemented on, the main thoughts were focused on giving Ryo an inquisition.

"Just how are we supposed to act around Kaosu-sama," Seiji was the first to ask. "Do I give him the same respect as my grandfather? How do I address him?" His questions continued on, very much like an elf that wasn't sure what type of honor to bestow upon a god he didn't worship very often.

Touma didn't ask questions so much as sit and try to take a few steps back in his thinking. While he was raised under the Kaosan faith, one would hardly calm him loyal to the religion. Touma was too logical to believe in deities, so the very idea of confronting a being who could kill him with barely a thought was putting a few things into perspective for him. Okay, maybe not a few. Maybe a lot. Maybe everything.

Shuu, meanwhile, was trying to figure out if one treated Kaosu any different than Kayura. Shuu was a Lugan and followed Kayura, but was about to meet Kaosu, so he was curious what the differences were between the two.

Shin, meanwhile, bombarded Ryo with theological questions as well as questions on how to act around the deity he had been following since he was essentially three years old.

Ryo, to his credit, did his best to answer all of their questions. For the most part he could, except for how to act around Kaosu.

"How do you think you're supposed to act around my master?"

"Like the sinful person I am."

"Like he is the High Elder."

"Like he's Kayura, only a little more formal."

"Like he's a god."

"Oh boy." Needless to say, Ryo had his work cut out for him.

"My master is indeed very different from the other gods. But you don't base how you act around him on someone you already know, or what you suspect you're supposed to do."

"Then how?" four voices demanded.

"The way you want to," Ryo replied

"Huh?" four voices answered, befuddled.

Ryo's head fell. "I didn't think it would be this hard . . ." The disciple leaned back in his chair. "A long time ago," he started, "shortly after I was born, my mother died. I never knew her. I was raised by my father. He was a good man, taking care of our farm here, which was much smaller than it is now, and surrounded by forest. Lilimundralle wasn't as populated as it is today, you see. My father taught me how to live off the land, not just in a farm, but in case I was on my own in the woods. Back then it was very common to have to travel for weeks before coming to a town, and you usually went to town to get supplies. Therefore, knowing how to live based on your surroundings was quite important. He also taught me a little on how to use my skills as a Rekka and how to fight."

"But you've never sparred with us," Shuu interrupted. "I thought you didn't know how to because of that."

"Oh no," Ryo smiled. "Remember, I have quite a few years on all of you. When I saw all of you through your initial sparring, I realized that I would probably be able to take you down quickly. That hardly seems fair in sparring. It's not that I'm stronger or anything. I've just had a lot more experience. Most of the moves you've used, I've had to defend against at least twenty times or more over the years. I think I'll probably start sparring with you when we hit the road again, because you'll need the help.

"Anyway, my father and I were really close. When I came of age at thirteen . . ."

"Thirteen?" That was Touma.

"Back then people didn't live as long as they do now. At thirteen, you were considered a full grown man or woman. As I was saying. At thirteen, my father died. He'd been getting sicker and sicker for years, but he finally passed on. When that happened, I was lost. I didn't want to stay on my farm because of all the memories. So I went into the woods and wandered. I barely got by, since I was so affected by my father's death. One day, I came across a small tower in a gentle clearing. There was a firelight coming from the windows, so someone lived there, but the field wasn't farmland. Back then you farmed or you died. Even if you hunted or traded, you still had a farm that you went home to, even if your family took care of it."

"I was curious about this tower. It was just what I needed, since it was a distraction from my grief. So I walked around it and found a door. Inside, the bottom level held a fireplace where a man with a hat that covered his eyes was staring at the flames. He was actually quite surprised when I walked over to say hello."

"That was Kaosu-sama?" Shin asked in awe.

"Yes. I didn't know he was a god at the time. Religions weren't very big back then. We had a vague idea that there was some all-powerful being, but people were too interested in surviving long enough to grow up. In any case, I introduced myself and apologized for barging into his home." Ryo chucked. "He was rather surprised until he looked at my chest."

"Your chest?" Seiji's ears twitched.

"Yup. I had been running around to woods so much back then my shirt was sort of torn up. You could see my chest right through it. My master realized at that point that I was to be his disciple."

"How?"

"On my chest is a mark. It stands for 'virtue', though the language itself hasn't been used in centuries. Nobody can see it except for the gods. I believe all of you will probably have a mark somewhere as well that my master will see.

"As I was saying, back then, after I had introduced myself, he just sat there, staring at me. I didn't know what he was doing back then, so I turned to leave. The strange old man put his hand on my shoulder to stop me. He told me that I would stay there for the night, since I probably didn't look too good. The next morning, I was rather surprised to see a breakfast waiting for me. My master said that if I could farm his field, he would let me stay and keep me fed."

"So that's why you call him master," Touma thought aloud. "Back then, working under someone meant servitude. You were his servant so he became your master."

"Partly," Ryo agreed. "I farmed his field and he watched over me. We talked at dinner and the talks usually lasted well into the night. He became like a father to me, since I had lost mine. I didn't like the idea that I was replacing my father, so I brought it up to him one night. He told me that if I didn't like looking to him as a father, a master would do. I tried. That's how I started calling him my master. However, as I got to know him more, he didn't really act like a father like I had initially thought. So I asked him what a father of my father would be called. After that, I started to look to him more like a grandfather.

"It wasn't long after that that I also started to realize bizarre things tended to happen around him. So one evening I asked him why that kind of stuff happened."

"You're rather blunt, aren't you?" Seiji muttered.

"I prefer to think of myself as honest," Ryo replied. "That's when my master explained who he was. When I realized he was a god, I understood that he was far more than my master. But I couldn't change how I acted around him. He was still a grandfather to me. Just a very powerful one. After that I started to learn my maho."

"So, in other words," Touma surmised, "we aren't supposed to act like he's someone special."

Ryo paused, his chin in his hands. "Act like my master is a stranger that you're getting to know. The rest will fall into place."

Masamune's mother came in with a tray of drinks and handed them around.

"Ryo-sama," she said, giving a drink to the red-clad man. "I noted that some of your party's boots are a little worn. My son's a fair cobbler, if I say so myself. He could do with some work tonight. He'll be too energized to sleep tonight and some cobbling will keep him busy."

"Shuu? Touma? Would you like some new boots?"

What a way to end the evening.

* * *

Seiji awoke the next morning and climbed the stairs into the open air. The predawn sky was a pale purple and lightening as Seiji climbed the large tree to observe the sunrise. The previous evening had proved to send his head whirling in headaches as Ryo explained things that just continued to shock him over and over. In many ways, the way the tiger-eyed man explained things seemed natural. But when taking a step back, it seemed impossible that Seiji was going to be meeting a god that day.

He spent most of the morning in the tree, observing the sunrise and debating on many of the things that had so shocked him the previous evening. It wasn't long before the others came out from the cellar as well, congregating under the tree and talking. Seiji hopped off his branch and joined them. They all agreed that Ryo was honest to a fault, and that they would most likely be meeting a god that day. However, they all still held doubts on how to act around a god. It wasn't something that one did every day.

Masamune came out, giving two sets of boots to everyone but Seiji. Evidently, Shin had wanted to get a pair while he had the chance.

Ryo came out soon after and informed them that they wouldn't be having breakfast and to saddle up.

Since everyone was still tired and all of them were too anxious to really eat anything, they agreed and started out riding.

It was only an hour's ride before Ryo stopped in the middle of the path they were following.

"Everyone, get off your horses and keep a tight hold on their reins."

"What?"

"Shuu, Touma, hold on to the pack horses as well."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Not really understanding what was going on, they complied.

Ryo looked around, smiling. "Alright! You can come out now!"

Bewildered, everyone looked around. It was Seiji who spotted something down the path. "A tiger!" Already the horses were getting nervous as the large white cat approached.

"Byakuen! How are you doing?" Ryo knelt down and hugged the large beast.

"You know this tiger, then," Seiji grunted, trying to keep his horse calm.

"Yup. I inherited him from Kenbukyo. We'll discuss it more when we get to my master's keep. It's over the next hill. Byakuen's here since he's the only one who can guide people other than the gods or me into my master's home." The horses were still prancing around nervously, so Ryo patted each of them on the snout, speaking in soothing tones to them.

Seiji's ears twitched. Were they to be traveling with a tiger now? And how were they supposed to keep their horses calm like this?

Ryo, however, calmed the horses and mounted the large tiger.

"Shall we be going now?"

* * *

Shuten lead his exhausted mount down the road, furious that the animal would not keep the meager pace he had set for it. Except for the trader's station, there had been no settlements, leaving him with nowhere to double the golds that weighed down his purse. And he had yet to find those five troopers. Seven horses traveling at a leisurely pace should be easy to catch up to, but nooooo. The dice kept falling snake eyes and boxcars. Even a Little Joe would be better than this.

Growing angrier by the minute, he continued down the road that seemed to lead nowhere. His horse needed to be watered, and there was no stream in sight.

Wait a moment. Wasn't that a farm up ahead? Walking faster, after slapping the rump of his brown horse to comply, he headed toward it. A young man came out of it, washing his hands on a rag.

"Sir?" he asked after he spied the Hashiban clothes.

"My mount needs water," he said, handing the reins over to him with disgust.

The farmer looked at the horse. "You've been pushing him too much, sir. Poor animal's exhausted. He'll need a proper rest after this."

Shuten resisted the urge to growl. "I don't have time for it. I'm trying to catch up with someone."

"Ryo-sama?" he asked.

Shuten blinked, pulling out his dice to finger them. "Who?" he asked, unsure of the pronunciation.

"Sanada Ryo-sama," the man replied.

Could it be? A royal flush? In one deal?

"Are you sure?" he asked, wanting to check his deck. "He was with four other companions?"

"He left here early this morning. He and his party is the only one I know of that would travel this road."

Unable to help himself. Shuten smiled. _Up yours, Rajura, you one eyed, uppity up, know-it-all, holier-than-though Gen wanderer!_

_Excuse me,_ Rajura replied. _But you following a road by yourself successfully hardly seems worthy of my attention. Or you gentle affection._

_Shove it, Cyclops! I found them!_ Shuten replied evilly. His winnings were not going to be spoiled. Not even by Rajura.

_Arago-sama may smile on anyone once. Though why he would look your way after your horrendous failure in Hashiba is beyond me._

_It's so nice to know you care,_ Shuten scoffed as he asked the farmer which direction the party had gone.

_Whatever. If you just want to jump up and down and praise yourself like a baby, see if I care. Just don't drag me into your miniscule accomplishments. We already know anything you do will fail. So just let me finish my preparations and get on with it._

Shuten wanted to reply some choice words, but the mind link was severed.

Thanking the farmer, Shuten grabbed his feeble mount and forced it into a gallop after the five.

"Hey! I thought you wanted the horse watered!" the farmer shouted from far behind him.


	12. Kaosu's Keep 11

Kaosu's Keep was in a large clearing. Ryo had said that the wooded area was only about an acre, but the others felt that they had been traveling for much further than an acre when they came across the clearing. Byakuen, his task fulfilled, bounded off to parts unknown, much to the relief of the horses.

The clearing itself was full of grass and flowers, a child's fantasy; and in the center of it stood a small tower, as Ryo had mentioned. It rose no more than four stories, and was made of an ancient stone that no one could identify. An equally ancient wooden door was at the foot of the tower, closed. The roof was made of wooden shingle, and it looked as though the entire top floor of the tower was made of glass.

The door opened, and a robed man exited the tower. He wore blue and white, a monk's colors, and had a large kasee, pulled so low that one could not see the man's eyes. In his hands was a stylized staff.

"I see they are here," the man said. Upon closer inspection, his hair was a stark white; but his facial features, those that could be seen, were that of a young man.

Ryo smiled broadly. "They are, indeed."

The man nodded to the red-clad disciple, and walked slowly over to the four, his staff chiming as he walked. They dismounted, unsure what to do, as the old man stepped up to the nearest, Touma.

"Ah," the odd looking man said. "You possess Chi; wisdom. Your mind is your greatest source of power, and your greatest hindrance. Your level of comprehension is beyond all others, but that comprehension makes you realize unpleasant truths. An interesting characteristic, one I believe you already hate." Touma blinked, uncertain what to say.

He moved on to the next, Shuu. "You are Gi; justice. An act is either right or wrong. It makes you very opinionated, but uncertain what to do when posed a complex question. You strive to do the right thing, and become quite flustered because of it in difficult situations."

Shuu cocked his head to one side. "I've never hesitated."

"You will. Or rather, you will question. Do not worry, questioning is a good thing. It is a lesson that this one must learn," he added as they looked to the awestruck Shin. "You have Shin; trust. Your mother chose your name wisely. You above all others will have the hardest challenge. Trust is the most powerful of all virtues, but it has one great trap. Blind trust. Be wary of it, be very wary of it."

Before Shin could say anything, the white haired man stepped over to Seiji.

"You might already know your virtue, as you were raised with it. You represent Rei; courtesy. You perform such to all you believe deserve it. Unfortunately, you have not realized that everyone deserves it. To some you are the greatest of men, to others, you are nothing more than an upstart."

Seiji's eyes narrowed, and his fist clenched, but he said nothing.

"You are four of the eight chosen by Kayura-san," the man said as he stepped back to view the four of them. Ryo moved next to and slightly behind the man. "You will hold the battle over this planet in your hands. It is not a light responsibility, but it is not an insurmountable one either. Kayura-san, it seems, wants to play fair. The other four are under the guidance of Arago-san. They are Chu; loyalty, Tei; obedience, Nin; endurance, and Ko, filial piety. These virtues, too, have their strengths and weaknesses. The eight of you will face each other, and you will fight, and you will make a choice. More than that, I cannot say."

The man smiled enigmatically. "Kayura-san did well, as to be expected. She is a brilliant player."

"Player?" Touma asked.

"Well, then," the man said. "Let us awaken your maho."

"Maho?" everyone questioned. Any further complaints disappeared, however, as the four of them vanished.

Ryo stepped forward, next to his master. "This brings back memories," he said, his face bright.

"Of when I transported you into a volcano?"

"Well, yes, that too," Ryo said. "I have to admit, I thought I was gonna die."

Kaosu merely smirked. "Here comes the first, as I expected."

There was a sudden gust of wind, and a blue light rocketed to the earth from high above. It crashed into the flowery field, resonating through the ground. The light disappeared to reveal a very windswept and gasping Touma.

"Wh-what?" he tried to demand. Words failed him, however, since he had no breath.

The next to arrive was Shuu. The gentle resonating of Touma's abrupt landing reverberated and increased in volume until the entire earth was shaking. Touma and Ryo fell to their knees to keep their balance, but Kaosu merely looked on, his smirk growing into a full smile.

The ground burst open to reveal the now filthy Shuu, spitting out dirt as he climbed out of the hole that had ejected him. The earth closed as soon as he was clear, and he continued to sputter curses between breaths.

Before anything coherent could be said, a pillar of water sprouted suddenly beyond the trees. Another blue light flew from it, floating to the ground next to Touma and Shuu, to reveal a drenched Shin. He gulped air greedily, his legs buckling under him from the shock of what had happened.

The last to arrive was, of course, Seiji. There came no announcement to his arrival aside from a sudden green pillar of solid light, blinding almost everyone. When the light faded, Seiji was there, his skin red and pealing, as if his entire body had been sunburned.

The four of them sputtered and stuttered at first, and then looked to the smiling Kaosu and equally happy Ryo.

"What in all the curses was that?" Shuu demanded, trying to rub the dirt off him, but only succeeding in smearing it further.

"That was you bonding to your maho," Ryo replied. "Touma was lifted up to the stratosphere, Shuu was buried deep in the earth, Shin was taken to the bottom of a nearby lake, and Seiji was put in the sun."

"WHAT?"

"If it makes you feel any better, I was dropped into the middle of an active volcano."

"I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE!" rang out four shrill voices.

Ryo nodded. "Of course. That's how you bond with your maho. Come on, guys. How do you feel now?"

Everyone paused in their fury as they inspected themselves.

Shin suddenly looked to his hands. "My entire body feels different," he whispered. "I can't explain it."

"Corny as it sounds," Touma said, "It feels like I've been made aware of a part of me that was always there, but wasn't at the same time."

"I see light," Seiji said. "It looks so different than how I have always seen it."

"I feel like I have maho," Shuu said, the only one able to properly articulate his feelings. "This is so cool! Does this mean I can set fires and stuff?"

Ryo fell to onto his face, and Kaosu suppressed a laugh.

"I'm the only one who has fire maho!" Ryo cried. "Just fire would be boring. You all have different types of maho. You would know what type better than me."

"Light," Seiji said immediately.

"Water," Shin said, almost as fast.

Touma paused, his brow furrowed in thought. "Wind?"

Shuu took even longer, before he finally said, "Earth. I think."

Kaosu gave another enigmatic smile. "Excellent. It is a start. You will all be exhausted in a few moments when everything sinks in. I suggest you get some rest, and Ryo will begin your training tomorrow."

They all nodded dumbly, their bodies mechanically going to their horses and pulling out their packs.

* * *

Shuten's horse buckled under him, pitching the Kitsune forward and into the ground which, he realized belatedly, was shaking. Since when did Lilimundralle have earthquakes? Shuten had been too absorbed in the strange blue light falling into the approaching cluster of trees to notice the shaking ground until his horse pitched him. Before he could reflect further, there was a waterspout off in the distance, and then a green pillar like streak of green light.

Shuten paused, wondering what ELSE would happen, but when nothing did, he finally stood up. He found it strange that Lilimundralle, a farmer's country, had such a large patch of forest. The ferryman had said that Ryo was going home. Did the disciple live in those woods? The picture of the smoke haired disciple living in a shack came to mind, and Shuten smirked despite himself.

But then, what were those colored lights? And the earthquake. Shuten suddenly went cold. He remembered when he had learned his maho. There had been a gold light that surrounded him.

"Gods curse it!" he cried out. He knew exactly what had happened and where the five were. This called for reinforcements. Quickly, he grabbed his mount's reins and sent out his thoughts.

_Those Troopers have just learned their maho! That means I'm within riding distance of Kaosu! Badamon, you didn't say anything about this! I need reinforcements for this!_

_Why?_ asked Badamon, his voice sneering even from the distance he was at.

_WHY?_ Shuten demanded. _If I'm caught I'm as good as dead!_

_Surely you are not that stupid,_ Badamon replied. _Kaosu-baka is too soft to kill the enemy. No sense of fighting whatsoever. He is a white haired wuss who will do whatever Kayura tells him._

_And?_

_And, he would sooner try to turn you than kill you._

_AND?_

_And you have nothing to worry about, you coward!_ Badamon cried out, his patience at an end. _Do not enter the Keep or make yourself known and you will be fine._

The link was severed abruptly, leaving Shuten alone and fuming.

The Hashiban let out a long string of curses, careful not to include his finer curses about Arago-sama, and then kicked his mount in frustration. The exhausted horse skittered slightly, but merely continued to graze on the field, happy to finally be eating. This merely infuriated Shuten further. Jerkily, he pulled out his kusari-gama and started to swing it around, determined to let out some of his frustration in katas.

The cards were not meant to fall that way, however, as he heard a low, menacing growl followed by a high whine from his horse before it galloped off. Turning around, he saw a snow white tiger, ready to pounce.

Shuten froze. NOW what was he supposed to do? Badamon was not about to answer him, and he was left to deal with a tiger that somehow found its way into farmer's country. Well fine! He'd deal with it the same way he dealt with anything that got in his way. He threw the blade of his kusari-gama at the beast, but it jumped away easily. The tiger let out a roar and ran to the redheaded Shuten, his claws unfurled and his fangs watering. Shuten jerked back his blade and instead threw out the chain, catching the tiger around the neck. He pulled at the chain with all his might, but it only seemed to make the tiger angrier. Shuten rolled to the side to prevent himself from being bitten, and then pulled again, this time with better leverage.

The tiger gave a choking noise, but then caught the chain into his mouth. The resulting tug-a-war lasted only for a few moments. The white tiger lifted one of its massive forepaws and unwound the chain. Then it opened its mouth. Shuten, not prepared for the sudden drop in resistance, fell backward, and the tiger pounced.

Shuten's breath exited his lungs quickly with the added weight of the tiger. He moved to plunge the blade into the tiger's neck or shoulder, but the large cat would have none of that, and knocked the weapon away.

Unarmed and defenseless, Shuten glared at the tiger. Its brown eyes gazed at him curiously, and its brow furrowed. Was it thinking? Yeah, right. The beast emitted a low rumble from deep in its throat, and Shuten could have sworn the cat was smiling. The rumble changed into a purr of all things, and the cat let himself of Shuten.

Shuten moved to grab his kusari-gama. The tiger did not like that, and picked the weapon up in its mouth and bounded off, happiness in its gait.

Furious, Shuten let out another string of curse words, loud and long enough that the throat was sore and his horse had wandered back to him by the time he was done. Slumping into the grassy earth around him, he considered his options.

No one had told him that a tiger guarded Kaosu's Keep, and no one had told him that he was even GOING to Kaosu's home. He did manage to find the five Troopers, but he had no way of closing in on them or ambushing them, not with that tiger or the fabled god around. So, what to do? He could watch the five with his maho. It seemed obvious that they would be holed up in that patch of woods for some time while they learned maho. He could use his maho to keep an eye on them, but he dared not do more for fear of that white tiger.

So he was stuck watching them until they left. What good would that do?

Shuten's first thought would be to report it to Rajura and the others so that they could use the information. The Kitsune shook his head. They didn't play with full decks. Well, maybe Rajura did, but the Gen wasn't about to share. But what else was the information good for? Knowing everything about the Troopers was one thing, but his one gamble in Hashiba had failed. He didn't have a backup. So he would have to share the information if he wanted anything accomplished.

Shuten scowled, realizing belatedly that he had been playing with his fixed dice. Even dice required other players. So did cards. Shuten would have to throw in his lot with the other three, curse it. Well fine. If anything happened, it wouldn't be his fault.

Shuten sought out the others through their mental link.

* * *

Ryo stretched as he awoke. It felt good to sleep in the flower field again. On clear nights like the one they just had, he couldn't bring himself to sleep in the tower. The stars that filled his eyes and the flowers that filled his nose were too tempting.

Today was going to be a big day. With the four connected to their maho, there would be a lot of explanations and directions and general talking. Ryo wondered absently if he would have a voice left by the time they had all finished.

Looking to the other four, he found two blankets empty. Seiji's and Shin's. While Seiji was always up with the sun, Shin was most likely wandering the grounds, astounded about where he was.

Smiling, Ryo got up and stretched again, before waking up Shuu and trying to wake up Touma.

"Wha . . . ?" Shuu mumbled wearily.

"It's time to get up," Ryo replied. "My master is probably going to give you a lecture today, and then you'll be spending the rest of it with me and your maho."

"'Kay," Shuu said slowly as he rolled over. Ryo could see that the Lugan mercenary was waking up, however, as the movements under the blanket became more active.

Touma was a different story.

"Touma, it's time to get up," Ryo said softly.

"Nn," came the reply.

"I'm serious, wake up," Ryo tried again.

There was no reply this time; the misplaced prince was dead to the world.

"Shuu, could you give me a hand?"

"Shhure . . ." Shuu had finally sat up and was rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Wake him up," Ryo said pointedly, gesturing to the tuft of blue hair that was poking out from Touma's blanket.

Blinking, Shuu acknowledged the request and stood up, walking over. He picked up the prince, lifted him into the air, and then let go. The impact incurred a "whuff" sound, and Touma sat up.

"Whud'yuh do that fer . . ." he cried out sleepily.

"He's awake," Shuu said. "Is there a stream or something near here? I want to wash up."

Ryo grinned. "A little beyond the trees that way there's a lake. I think Shin's there."

Nodding, Shuu walked off to where Ryo had pointed.

"So, it's just you and me," Touma muttered.

"Are you okay with that?" Ryo asked.

"I guess I am," Touma said slowly, running his hands through his sleep tousled hair. "I wasn't sure if I would be. I felt so different yesterday after the fall. But now I think I'm okay. Better, at least. You already know your maho, so I guess it's natural to look up to you."

Ryo smiled, sitting by Touma. "It must be nice to have a teacher for this kind of thing. My master wasn't all that great."

"He wasn't?"

"Not really. Gods think in different levels and terms, I think. He just assumed that I understood some things and that I would catch on right away. I didn't, of course. It took me nearly fifty years before I was knowledgeable enough to actually go out and save Kayura-sama. It cost us a lot because of that."

"It did? You mean the Fifty Year War."

"That war wasn't supposed to happen. I was to learn my tricks in under a year, long before all the forces were completely massed. The war was just a front at first, to distract Arago-baka from me and my training. It didn't turn out that way, though."

"No, it didn't," said a new voice. Seiji walked lightly through the flowers and joined the pair.

"How do you feel?" Ryo asked.

"It is so strange," the elf replied. "I was able to watch the sunrise without squinting or fearing damage to my eyes. It took on so many different colors, it was unnerving. I am not used to this."

"I doubt any of us will be for a while," Touma suggested. "I can feel every breeze, every shift of the air."

"When I first got my fire maho, I could feel the temperature acutely. It was the dead of winter, and I knew it was cold out. By all accounts I should have frozen, but I didn't. There was something in me that kept me warm. That's true to this day. I can walk around Luga with only the clothes on my back. The only reason I put on layers anymore is because it will look strange if I didn't."

"You look strange, anyway," Shuu said lightly as he and Shin returned. "Red ain't a normal color."

Ryo smiled. "But it's who I am."

Shin sat down. "I was washing our cookware. I could feel the water. I mean FEEL the water. It was so odd. I can sense the moisture in the air. It will rain tomorrow, I think."

Ryo nodded. "And you, Shuu?"

The mercenary shrugged his broad shoulders. "I can feel the earth. I can pick out every grain of sand by that lake. Shin watched me."

Ryo nodded again. "This is normal. You're all bonded to your maho now, and it will serve and help you whenever it can."

Shuu cracked his knuckles. "So this is where we get to the training part?" he asked.

"I think my master wants to explain some things first," Ryo said. "What you know about the Fifty Year War and the stuff that happened before it is a little distorted. Time has a way of doing that. My master wants to clear some stuff up first so you all understand."

"Indeed, I do."

Everyone turned around, surprised by the sudden appearance of the god Kaosu. Ryo smiled. He couldn't help it. Whenever he saw his master his heart just wanted to sing. Their relationship was far too complex to explain, but it was strong. Ryo's master was able to do so much for people. It was amazing that anyone could follow Arago-baka when such a good being could be followed instead.

Ryo's master sat down on a small rock that was nestled in the flowers. Shin quickly knelt down in anticipation. Seiji, Touma, and Shuu simply took a seat near the monk-sir and got comfortable for what was presumed to be a long lecture. Ryo just smiled and sat down by his master and fell back into the flowers, looking to the sky. He'd discussed the topics his master was going to talk about hundreds of times over the years.

"I think it best to begin by asking what all of you know of the gods, with the exception of Shin."

"Why except Shin?" Touma asked dubiously.

"Because, as a priest, he is rather . . . learned on the subject," Kaosu replied slowly.

"You imply that he has learned wrong," Seiji observed, an ear twitching.

"We will get to that in a minute. Now then, what do you know of the gods?"

Seiji's ear twitched again as he tilted his head. "I was taught by my grandfather that light elves follow the god Kaosu-sama, and that the dark spawn follow Arago-dono. Both gods are at war with each other, just as the elves are. However, gods are distant by nature, and as long as we believed in the mighty Kaosu-sama, all things would be right. We do not really have rituals or ceremonies. Merely belief. The goddess Kayura-sama is rarely talked about and little is known about her. From what I've learned thus far, she seems to be rather friendly."

Kaosu nodded and turned to Touma.

"Well," the blue prince started, "I grew up learning the basic religion associated with Kaosu-sama. I never really paid much attention to it though." Shin glared at Touma. "Hey, I had other things on my mind. My uncle, mostly. Besides, it seemed rather pointless to me. Gods never really seemed to do anything to our daily lives, so I didn't think there was much point in paying attention to them if they didn't pay attention to me. I know that Kaosu-sama and Arago fight, and that there was a goddess that Lugans follow. Since I didn't pay attention, I don't know much beyond that."

Kaosu nodded again and turned to Shuu.

"Well, since I grew up under Kayura-sama, I guess I'm a little different than you guys," the Lugan stated, running a hand through his hair. "I knew that there were two other gods and that they were fighting each other. I also knew that Kayura-sama wasn't interested in the fight and stayed out of it. Since Lugans settled in the mountains after the Fifty Year war and were sick of fighting, we decided to follow a goddess who didn't like to fight. While I don't go much for ceremony, I pray to Kayura-sama once in a while and she takes care of me."

"You have no idea," Ryo muttered from the grass.

"That gives me a basis," Kaosu stated, leveling his hidden gaze against the four sitting before him.

"Let me tell you that while you understand that Arago-san and I are against each other; that is about all you have learned that is correct." Shin gaped. "Allow me to start with a sense of scale. As Shin and Touma probably know, Arago-san and I both come from a family. So does Kayura-san. We have extremely large families. Arago-san's family and my own have been against each other for eons. Because of the war between the two families, more lives than you could possibly imagine have been lost. More lives than this planet could support, more lives than even a hundred planets such as this could support." The four paled quite a bit.

"Finally, about ten generations ago in our families," Kaosu paused, "that would be long before this world came into existence, the heads of our two warring families met together to put an end to the bloodshed. The two heads of the families agreed that such fighting could not continue. Therefore, rather than kill each other and the universe we watched over, it was decided upon to create a third god family, just as large as ours. This family produced Kayura-san."

Okay, everyone was beyond pale. Shin, in particular, looked a might faint.

"Kayura-san's family basically acts as judges in a sort of game. One god may challenge someone from the other family and a god from Kayura-san's family is chosen to observe and declare who is the winner."

"How . . . is the winner . . . determined?" Seiji asked.

"By the people of the planet that is created," Kaosu answered, turning to the light elf. "If the people of the planet decide to follow one god over the other, the god that is banished must return to their family and await a challenge from someone else. When Kayura-san set up this planet for Arago-san and myself, she stated that in order to protect the people, only ten chosen ones would be given the choice. You are five of them. Arago-san has the other five. As you travel and fight against Arago-san's five, you will learn and observe. Therefore, when the time comes, you will make a choice between me and Arago-san. But I am getting ahead of myself."

Shin shifted from his kneeling to a more comfortable position, still looking quite faint, though now Seiji did so as well.

"Now, when Kayura-san created this world, she left a lot of us to our own devices. That is where the idea of Kayura-san being aloof came from. She is anything but aloof. While she did not approve of the subtler methods of Arago-san and myself, she allowed it, since we are not the same as her. We have done a great many things in preparation for the eight of you to appear, not all of them very good."

Kaosu paused, taking a breath. "Finally, Arago-san discovered his disciple, Badamon-kun, and we met at Kayura's mountain in Luga to meet him. Kayura-san saw the sickly, gangly, young disciple and she thought of making the three gifts."

Touma was starting to look a little faint now himself.

"The gifts?" he asked, his voice easily raising an octave.

"Yes," Kaosu replied. "These gifts have two purposes, one personal and one godly. The Kikoutei Mirror's personal purpose was to free Kayura-san from the brainwashing that Arago-san did. I'll explain that in a moment. The Go Retsu Ken's personal task was to protect Ryo-san from danger." The four looked to Ryo, as if just noticing the two swords he wore for the very first time. It suddenly clicked as to why he had such a keen sense as to when there was danger. "The Inochi no Madatama's personal task was to kill the one person who was in Badamon-kun's way when he was stealing the jewel. With all of the personal tasks completed, only the godly ones remain. However, it is a race to see who can collect all the gifts, which is what you five will be doing."

Some of the four of them took to lying down like Ryo had. This was getting just a bit much.

"Now then," Kaosu continued, producing a cup of water to sip. "Allow me to address the Fifty Year War. As Ryo-kun has no doubt explained, we spent most of that time trying to get him to understand his maho. While he trained, I gathered my side of the mountains to fight against Arago-san's. I didn't expect the war to actually happen, but it was a necessity. Now, the reason behind the Fifty Year war has nothing to do with trade, like what you've been taught. You see, I had just found Ryo-kun here. Therefore, I needed to introduce him to Kayura-san. Unfortunately, when I arrived with Ryo-kun, I discovered that Kayura-san had been kidnapped by Arago-san."

Several jaws hit the ground and a couple eyes popped.

"The rules set by the heads of our families all those years ago expressly forbid controlling a member of the third family. This was a distinct violation of the rules. Therefore, I knew that I was going to need Ryo-kun to bring back Kayura-san, since it was Badamon-kun, Ryo's counterpart, which had taken Kayura-san."

"Wait a minute," Shuu interjected, his face incredibly pale. "Kayura-sama can be controlled by a disciple? How can she keep you in line if she can fall to flunkies?"

"It was not Badamon-kun who controlled Kayura-san," Kaosu answered. "You see, Badamon-kun had come to visit Kayura-san. Arago-san merely used his disciple as a conductor and took Kayura-san by force. Had Kayura-san been prepared for it and not utterly surprised, this would not have happened. Kayura-san is very powerful, but she was taken when her guard was down."

Shuu swore and slammed his fist to the ground. "Let me get my hands on that ghoul and I'll take care of him."

Ryo sat up, looking seriously to the Lugan. "Badamon is my responsibility," he stated calmly. "You will realize yours when the time comes, just as I did."

"As I was saying," Kaosu continued. "Kayura-san was kidnapped, and I needed Ryo-kun to return her. Unfortunately, I was not a very good teacher. However, Ryo-kun finally was able to fly to Yuuki and free Kayura-san."

To this, the four chuckled, remembering Ryo's story of the glass-jawed Badamon.

"An unfortunate result of the war, however, was that many were disheartened with Arago-san and myself. They decided to settle in Kayura-san's mountains, and created a country called Luga. Another unfortunate result of being under Arago-san's control for fifty years was that Kayura-san was not herself anymore. I sent Ryo-kun to retrieve the Kikoutei mirror and it restored Kayura-san. Unfortunately, she did not remember being kidnapped. Therefore, she could not declare Arago-san unfit for the game, leaving me the winner."

"Which brings us to today," Touma quietly stated.

"Indeed." Kaosu stood, his five followers following suit. "I think I have given enough information for one day. I leave Ryo-kun to teach you how to utilize your maho efficiently." The ancient god, who looked so young, turned and headed back to his tower.

Ryo sat up and looked to the other four. Each was in varying stages of white and trembling. He grinned. "You see why I didn't spill everything all at once?" he asked.

Shuu threw a rock at him. "No dung, smarty-sir," he muttered.

Ryo grinned even wider.

"So," Shin said slowly. "Everything we've ever been taught is a lie?"

Ryo frowned. "Not really," he said slowly.

"Then what do you call learning a falsehood?" Shin asked; his pale form sickly against the whites and light blues of his clothes.

"I call it necessity," Ryo said flatly.

Shin, for the briefest of moments, looked outraged. "You supported the falsehoods?"

Ryo shrugged, taking on that infuriatingly surprised tone. "Of course. Can you imagine what would happen if countries like Hashiba or Yang Shi learned the real reason behind the Fifty Year War? They'd want to finish what they'd started, and we'd have a whole other war on our hands, causing more untold deaths. That's the way things are, so we let the trade and political issues overshadow my master's presence. Gods aren't very important nowadays, and because of that your battle is much easier. You don't have to deal with billions of people trying to get in your way. It keeps the damages minimal."

Shin's colors started to return, and he nodded to himself, acknowledging the logic.

"Oh, I see."

Ryo took a deep breath, relieved.

"Anyway," he said. "I'm only going to teach you one thing. For the first few days, your maho is going to drain you pretty quickly, until you get a better hang of how much to release on one sitting."

Touma nodded at the logic. "The more experience we get, the more we will be able to do."

"Right."

"So what will you teach us?" Seiji asked.

"Your words."

Everyone blinked. "Our . . . words?"

"Yes. You access your maho through a phrase that you say. Mine," Ryo said as he raised his hand. "is So En Zan." Fire burst from his hand and formed a fiery sword. "I've had a few dozen centuries on you, so I'm experienced enough to call it up without saying it, necessarily. I usually do, though."

Everyone stopped gaping at the fire sword and looked to Ryo.

"We can make weapons?" Shuu asked.

"Not right away. For a while, you won't be able to do much more than shoot out a pillar of energy. That's what drains you the most."

"What are our phrases?" Touma asked, anxious to learn his.

Ryo shook his head. "I don't know."

Everyone fell face flat onto the ground.

"WHAT?"

"Well, I don't," Ryo explained. "No one knows what that phrase is except you. I didn't know mine for the longest time. My master thought I would just up and know, but I didn't. It took me nigh on two weeks before I figured out how to learn it. So I'm going to save you the trouble and tell you how to figure out your phrase."

"And that is . . . ?" Touma drew out.

"Look to yourself."

More facefaults.

"No! I'm serious! Get comfortable, close your eyes, and look into yourselves. You're connected to your maho now, and it will give you a lot of help in finding the phrase."

Everyone gave Ryo a weary glance, but did as they were told. Shin and Touma laid back into the flower bed, Seiji took what looked to be a meditative position, and Shuu stretched out his legs from under him.

Shin and Seiji, who Ryo had guessed were the most closely connected to their elements, were the first to find their phrases.

Shin opened his eyes and whispered, "Cho Ryu Ha?" A pillar of water shot up from Shin, shocking everyone, and dissipated almost immediately. Shin, gasping but still somehow dry; fell back to the ground, shocked.

Seiji followed a few minutes afterward. "Rei Ko Zan." A pillar of light followed, and Seiji slumped to the ground.

Shuu came next, almost an hour later. "Gen Ta Sai?" A pillar of earth.

Touma took the longest. Ryo paused him partway through his musings.

"Touma, don't think so much," Ryo said. "Remember what my master said about your mind being a hindrance. This isn't about thinking, it's about feeling."

Almost immediately afterward, Touma found his phrase. "Shin Ku Ha?" A pillar of wind shot up, leaving him breathless.

Ryo looked at the now exhausted four, he said, "Well, since we missed breakfast, how about lunch? Then you can sleep until midmorning tomorrow."

Everyone looked at him, but mutely complied.


	13. Kaosu's Keep 12

As Ryo had predicted, no one woke up until almost late morning. This aggravated Seiji, who liked to watch the sunrise, but everyone else was able to take it in stride. It was almost a week until everyone could say their maho based phrases and not immediately collapse afterward. Once that was accomplished, Ryo started his next lesson.

"You can use your maho in many different ways," he said as they five of them sat by the lake. Shin was looking at it lovingly, while Shuu was tracing intricate patterns in the sand. Seiji was nestled under the shade of a tree, and Touma was sitting in the grass, enjoying the light breeze that always seemed to follow him.

"The way you alter your element to do what you want is by concentrating on what you want it to do. For example, if I want that fire sword, I think about the shape I want the fire to take, and then I say So En Zan." On command, the fiery sword appeared in his hand. "I have to always keep at least part of my mind focused on the shape, or else it will lose its form and turn into that annoying pillar. The pillars themselves can be directed to an object or an enemy, but that's only done in the direst circumstances." Ryo's eyes suddenly hardened. "Never, NEVER, use the pillar unless those circumstances occur. Do you understand?"

Everyone, not expecting the sudden change in attitude, nodded.

"Now, I want everyone to pick a shape and make it with their maho. We'll start with Touma. This should be easy for you, since you think so much."

Touma chuckled at the tease, and held his hand out. "Shin Ku Ha!" he shouted. Almost immediately, the dark blue winds appeared and filtered to Touma's hand. He grasped the wind and it took on the form of a bow and arrow.

"Whoa!" Surprised, Touma almost lost concentration. He quickly regained it, however, and drew the arrow. "This is awesome." He fired the arrow, and it shot off into the woods, creating almost a vacuum behind it. "Nice," he whispered.

"That was very good," Ryo said, nodding approvingly. "You know, you can use that as a weapon. If you wanted, you could detonate that when the arrow impacted."

"Really?" Touma asked. "Can I try again?"

"No, I'd rather wait until you're all more experienced before your use your maho offensively. I want to take baby steps right now. Seiji, you're next."

Seiji, like Touma, raised his hand. He closed his eyes and concentrated. "Rei Ko Zan." A green sword, a duplicate of his own, appeared in his hands. It was hard to look at because of its glow.

"Seiji, could you concentrate on making the light a little duller?" Shuu asked.

"Why?" he replied. "Light like this should not be hidden."

"No, it shouldn't," Ryo said, shielding his eyes. "But we aren't immune to light, like you are. We're going to go blind if you don't tone it down."

" . . . Oh." Sheepishly, Seiji concentrated on the sword and the glowing subsided. He swung it around slowly before it dissipated. "The balance is different than my sword."

"With time, you can make the balance like you sword. That takes a little bit of refinement, though. It's hard to add weight to things like light and fire."

"Understood."

"Shin?"

The monk-sir held out his hands and furrowed his brow. "Cho Ryu Ha!" he cried.

The water from the lake sprung forth and enveloped his hands, taking the rough shape of a spear. Shin blinked and frowned, and after a moment the form became more solid. "This is hard," he said finally.

"That might be because you're more intuitive than thoughtful," Ryo said. "Touma and Seiji are very quick with their minds, while you and Shuu work more with your emotions. It will get easier with practice, don't worry."

Shin nodded, and the spear washed away quickly.

Shuu was next, and his brow knitted as he thought about his object. "Gen Ta Sai." The sand he had been tracing flung up towards him and formed what looked like three sticks, floating in the air. "Hey!" Shuu cried out. "Where are the chains the connect them? And how come they aren't in my hand?"

Ryo, suppressing a smirk, replied, "Picture the weapon in your hand, and try to visualize the chains more clearly." Shuu did so; it took a while, but he was able to complete it.

"That will be it for the day. Try to make other objects, if you can. While the weapons you just made will probably be the most used in the times ahead, get used to making other things with your thoughts. I can't tell you how many times it comes in handy."

* * *

Shuten scowled. His horse, no longer exhausted after a good three weeks rest, was prancing happily around the farmlands, eating apples and vegetables when it could, just to annoy the farmers enough to follow it and wonder why Shuten was camping out in the middle of nowhere. Shuten would put on a smile, offered to pay if they won at poker, and proceeded to fill up his multiple purses. It was the only way to pass the time.

Right now, he was drinking a bottle of sake that he had won. It would just go to waste if he kept it until he got to a city, since if those cursed Troopers were any indication, it wouldn't be anytime soon. So, he mentally sent off the latest information about how fast they were learning to create object with their maho, and then severed the link so he could happily get drunk by himself.

It wasn't like he was the type to drink. On the contrary, he normally never touched it. But he loved its effect on gamblers, so he himself became used to its taste if it was ever offered at a table. He always made sure to bring it to the table if the other three were involved. Mostly because they were horrible drunks. Rajura became stupid, Naaza became weepy, and the one time he managed to get Anubisu drunk he got angry. Shuten had always wondered if sake brought out a person's true nature. There was no doubt that Naaza was manic and Anubisu had a lot of pent up rage. He couldn't figure Rajura being stupid, though, so he always questioned the theory.

Shuten himself only got drunk on two occasions. One was when he learned that he had been assigned to Hashiba, and the other was a very long stint when he had escaped the country. He didn't remember much for two months afterward, but when he finally did sober up, he was found by Arago-sama. He had been told on both of those occasions that he was a moody drunk. He supposed that was true, he was moody by nature. He vacillated between annoyed and furious and depressed and sometimes happy beyond joy. He smiled when he remembered the picture of the five Troopers riding into Tou Hashiba, tied to their horses and looking for the world like the morons they were.

That thought made him scowl has he took another long swig of the sake. Finishing the bottle, he put it aside and opened the second. There were three bottles total, and Shuten wondered absently how long it would take until he passed out. He had a higher tolerance than he had initially expected. Perhaps it had something to do with the two month stint.

Where was he again? Oh yeah, scowling. He had been watching the Troopers for three weeks, and, gods help him, he was starting to respect him. The long-ear was quick to learn, the mercenary had a huge amount of power, the priest seemed almost obsessively connected to his element, and the prince . . . the prince . . .

Shuten quickly chucked the thought of respecting the blue haired freak out the window and chugged down almost half of the second bottle to prove his point. The alcohol swam almost immediately to his head, and his thoughts swam very quickly before it could adjust to the new level of fogginess.

"Cursed, friggn, dung-heaping, sky colored, crooked, cheating, lecherous, guy wanting, freaky, prince," he muttered under his breath, the picture of Touma and his uncle blurring in his mind. How dare he put the Oni mark on his family for the simple need to help a sick mother? What right did he have to judge his life and forsake him for his father's deeds? Stupid prince. When Shuten made it to the throne, then they'd see. Then they'd see.

Shuten absently sent his maho out to the Troopers to see what they were doing. Even drunk, he did not break the habit he had developed. They were at the campsite, laughing and telling funny family stories. Shuten smiled at the happy picture, then almost immediately frowned.

He didn't have any funny stories to tell, because most of his life his father lived in fear and his mother was bedridden. HE wasn't privileged enough to have happy childhood memories. He took another swig; then a gulp for good measure.

"Curse them all!" he suddenly shouted, startling his mount. Shuten furiously finished the bottle and moved for his kusari-gama, forgetting completely it had been stolen by a tiger. He needed to hit something. He wondered in a detached moment of clear thought if he wasn't an angry drunk instead of a moody one. The Kitsune stood up, but immediately slumped back to the ground, his head spinning.

"Curse it, can't even stand up straight."

Shuten let out a furious cry, scaring his horse again, and threw aside his empty bottle, instead grabbing jerkily for the third bottle.

* * *

"You should know by now that maho can be used in many different ways."

"Yes, teacher," Shuu said lightly.

Ryo sweatdropped. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

There came a resounding "Yes!" in reply.

"Ah . . . Sorry?"

Shuu laughed. "No worries, Ryo. You just sound like a teacher, that's all."

Laughing nervously, Ryo continued. "Well, pillars and objects have their uses, but mostly in battles. There are other practical applications for maho. You've seen one of my favorites, starting fires."

Everyone nodded knowingly.

"Can anyone think of a useful application of their maho?"

Everyone paused, thinking.

Touma looked up first. "Could I track weather? Or maybe create it?"

Ryo frowned. "You probably can do both, but I wouldn't suggest the latter. For one thing, you would probably need Shin's help, because of the moisture levels and stuff in the air. For another, the weather has a worldwide cause and effect, and that's something you don't take lightly. Making a simple rainstorm might cause a worldwide monsoon, or even a worldwide drought. I wouldn't do it lightly."

Touma nodded.

Shin raised his hand. "The human body is made up of a lot of water."

"Ninety-two percent," Ryo and Touma answered simultaneously.

"Can I do anything with that?"

" . . . I don't know," Ryo said. "There are potentially a lot of applications from that standpoint. You still have to be very careful. Tweaking in the wrong place might kill a person. I think you could probably do things in terms of illnesses. Isolate a cancer or purify poisoning, things like that."

"Some interesting possibilities," Shin said; his eyes far away as he considered them.

After a moment of silence, Shuu looked up. "I could grow stuff, couldn't I? I mean, I could call up buried lakes and stuff, coax it up for a few days to water seeds I find and move, and then put it back and watch the seeds grow. I also could probably find precious stones like iron or gold in Luga. Oh! I could also map out those cave systems so people won't get lost anymore."

Ryo blinked. "Yes, you could do all those things. Good work!"

"Finally! No second chance needed."

Everyone looked to Seiji, his face still etched in thought. Realizing eyes were on him, he looked up. "I cannot think of anything aside from providing light for night travel."

Ryo nodded. "There's that. Nothing else?"

Seiji lowered his eyes. "Nothing that I can think of. Is light so impractical?"

Ryo smirked knowingly. "Not at all. But you have to figure it out, first."

* * *

Naaza stretched out on his cot, supremely satisfied with himself. Things were going much better for him now that he was back home in Sthiss. The rumors were started, and by the time those persistent Troopers arrived, they'd have one demon of a surprise waiting for them. Sure, the rumors were small now, but given the potency of them, they'd spread quickly. Naaza would be very surprised if the High Kamek didn't hear about it before the end of the week.

Odd. He'd thought of Sthiss as home. He thought that he was "back home" in Sthiss. Sthiss was the country where he was rejected both by humans and Sthissians, since he was half of each. A Doko half-breed. Nothing more than a pawn to be used and then tossed away by either the corrupt monk-sirs that were on every street corner preaching how corrupt the Sthissians were, or the Sthissian rebel leaders who would do anything to kick the High Kamek into the Snake River. It was only running into the desert of Yuuki that saved his half scaly hide. Of course, jungle snakes don't survive very well in sun and sand. By the time he'd reached Arago-sama's temple, he was so thirsty, he would have cut the first throat he saw and drink their blood just to satiate himself.

_Oi. Idiotic comr'des I must 'ssociate with,_ came Shuten's drunken voice. _Curs'd Troopers're makin' more progress each day. C'n make weapons from 'lem'nts quickly._ That Kitsune was drunk. Oh how Naaza seethed. _C'n't 'lieve 'm startin' to respect 'em. Need another swig._ The gambler cut the connection sloppily, obviously not wanting that last part to be communicated.

That Oni was starting to respect their enemies? When he didn't even respect his own teammates? What a fine one to talk! The Oni that gave the thirst-crazed Naaza _sour wine_ as a taunt of how much better he was? Naaza fumed. He wished he could reach out and strangle that two-faced coin of a gambler. Respect? For a Kaosan priest? Was that Kitsune insane!

Naaza sat up, wanting to really break something. Unfortunately, the room he was renting would make sure he paid every Naga for whatever he decided to vent his frustration on. He needed out. Now.

Storming out of the room, Naaza left the shack of a inn he was staying in with Anubisu. It didn't take him long to find what he wanted. Walking down the street was a particularly pompous looking priest, looking down his nose at every Sthissian that slithered by harmlessly. When the Kaosan's eyes fell on Naaza, they went from arrogant to disgusted. That didn't really matter much for Naaza. He pulled out a knife from his belt, whishing he had all of his gear with him. Unfortunately, in his race to get out of the room, he'd left his swords and armor behind. A knife would suffice, however.

Since it was a particularly crummy part of town, nobody would be looking in a Doko's direction. Just what he needed. He pounced on the arrogant illegitimate in front of him, shoving him into the alley. The knife gave a satisfying sound as it pierced the priest's shoulder, leaving what would most likely be a disfiguring scar. However, Naaza wasn't done. He was a follower of Arago-sama. He let his maho collect and form little drops of deadly poison that slid down the blade of his knife and into the fool's blood. The blaggard would be dead in less than a day. Naaza was feeling much better right now.

Nothing like pointless violence to reduce stress.

Calmly entering into the streets of Sthiss, Naaza worked his way back to his room, using a completely different route than the one had taken. Random murders always made him feel better. There was a certain irony in that. A monk could kill a Sthissian and nobody cared. But now that a Doko half-breed had killed what appeared to be a moderately ranked member of the cloth, things would get interesting. In fact, it just might help the rumors he was spreading. Yes, sporadic killing should be done more often. Not only did it release tension and make people feel better, it helped move plots along.

Once Naaza had slithered back into his room, he stretched out on the cot like had been earlier before he was so rudely interrupted by the arrogant and drunk Kitsune.

Who respected the enemy.

Curse it, just when he was feeling better.

And just what was there to respect about the enemy? The fact that they supported one another? Please. Who needed support? Nobody had ever given Naaza support as he grew up. Why should other people do that? It was just a waste of time. So what if they had supported the light long ear when he was dishonored after Daasa Laska. So what if they had helped the prince through the trial. Who needed help? People could do things on their own. They didn't need other people. He certainly didn't need someone else's help. Not when he was growing up, not when he was working for Arago-sama, not now, not ever. He never needed help.

Did he?

The question was a daunting one that just kept ruining his mood. While he was uneducated in many regards, one thing he was proud of was his ability to look inward and think of things. One usually didn't associate such a sane behavior with him, which is why nobody knew about it. Unfortunately, he was going to have to do some serious thinking on this. Why? All because one small corner of Naaza's mind had to point out that he just might respect the enemy as well because they were able to support each other when no one had ever done that for himself.

A memory that he had buried deep in his mind came up without his bidding. A memory he had not forgotten but refused to think about over the years. His mother was a Sthissian who had been raped by a "chaste" monk. Because of the torture she endured, she agreed to join one of the many rebels that continuously rose and fell from power in Sthiss. He was raised by her and that rabble. Unfortunately, because he was so obviously a half-breed Doko, nobody trusted him. Sure, they were nice when his mother was around, but when he was alone, he was on his own. That one point was made quite clear to him by the Sthissians. So when his mother died he was cast aside. Some even went so far as to accuse him of killing her. Cursed fools.

But once he was on the streets, pick-pocketing to survive, a human of all people gave him shelter for a night. A human. A miserable, filthy, arrogant, money-grabbing, leeching human that half of his blood reeked of.

And it wasn't out of pity.

Now Naaza had seen humans who aged and wanted to ensure some sort of paradise in the afterlife take in a Sthissian in order to redeem their black souls. But that was out of pity and selfishness. The human that had given him food and shelter for one night, didn't do it out of pity.

Naaza wasn't sure how he knew this. Growing up with rebels and then on the streets tended to make one suspicious. However, somehow, that blue-eyed man showed that it wasn't pity, but support of all things. Naaza must have been crazy. Heh, people would call him crazy now. But the blue-eyed man didn't ask questions, didn't judge the young Doko, or tell him how to live his life. The man merely saw a beggar and brought him to a room in one of the nice human inns. When the human clerk tried to put Naaza in the cruddy servant's section in back, the human ignored him, taking Naaza to a room.

His memory was lacking on the room itself, though he remembered noting that it looked moderately rich. The red man had paid for a large dinner, which Naaza almost inhaled. The only advantage to being a Doko was that he was immune to most poisons, so he could eat without worries. There was no conversation per se between the two of them, but Naaza remembered that a great deal was shared, though he couldn't remember how. But what stuck out the most about that memory was the fact that for the first time in his life, someone other than his mother had supported him.

Curse those Troopers. Their very team bred that kind of support. Nobody did that in his team. And curse it, he had to respect that. He didn't want to, but he did.

Naaza sat up from his cot again. This was ridiculous. He needed to do some random violence again. He couldn't stand it.

Unfortunately when he reached the door, Anubisu was there. There went any chances of killing someone for fun. The cursed Yami had a weird sense of honor. Killing was fine, but random killing wasn't. Bizarre.

"You don't need to kill anyone else," the dark elf's sandy voice stated.

Naaza raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Killing people won't solve whatever problem you have."

It always unnerved Naaza at how the dark elf always knew when he had just killed someone or was about to. But then, his hands had been soaked in blood for years. It was the only way to survive.

"How would you know?" he hissed in response, sitting back on his cot. Anubisu sat on the floor, sweat almost streaming down his bare limbs. Evidently, he wasn't used to the heat.

"What if I had gone with my need to kill back at the light-cursed Daasa Laska? What if I killed that light girl?"

"We'd have been sniffed out by every light long ear in the forest. I don't really know what they'd do to us, but I have an idea," Naaza had to agree.

"Precisely. Reign yourself in when you are angry."

"Like that does you any good?" the Doko replied. "You are tighter than a fresh bow. You snap at almost every little thing. It's not my fault you were raised in the cold. It's not my fault we couldn't afford for you to kill a cursed light long ear. It's not my fault that you're scarred!" Anubisu stopped rubbing the scar on his eye, as if realizing that he was doing so. "Don't take it out on me!"

The Yami elf turned to Naaza, a cold winter storm in his eyes. "You are human."

Naaza's blood ran colder than the storm going in Anubisu's eyes and in two great strides, was in front of the dark elf.

"What did you say?" Naaza hissed.

"I don't trust humans or elves. You are human, so I can't trust you."

Anubisu's head snapped to the side from the force of the snake's punch.

"I thought you were different from that Kitsune," the Doko hissed. "You actually gave me a blanket when I was cold, the first nice thing that had happened to me in _years_. You never judged me when were at Arago-sama's temple. You never did anything overtly bad to me. _I was beginning to think I could trust you!_ It turns out that you're just like everyone else. Just because I'm half means that nobody can trust me. I didn't ask to be half human. I didn't ask to be half Sthissian. I can be trusted if I trust the person who needs my trust! My mother needed my trust and I trusted her! But I guess that a dark long ear is the same as a light long ear or a human."

Naaza whirled around and left the room, intent on killing many more priests that evening.

* * *

Anubisu held his cheek that still throbbed. He had always known that the Doko had problems. They all did. He had grown up on the boarders, watching both light and dark elf kill each other for reasons long since forgotten. When his family had tried to relocate to the Yami Daasa Laska, the High Elder accused them of cowardice and banished them to the start of a very long and hard winter with no place to stay. How his parents raised him after that when their minds weren't the same was beyond him. Everybody had their difficulties. It wasn't like Naaza's problems were worse than his, or the Kitsune's, or the Gen's.

But the dark elf had to admit to himself that the experiences had left them all scarred. They were left forever altered by what had happened to them. Anubisu, as a result of his growing up didn't trust humans or elves. Because of that, he didn't trust their blue-skinned boss or any of his teammates.

But Naaza wasn't fully human.

Was that why he even bothered giving the Doko a blanket when he was freezing up in Hashiba? Because if Naaza wasn't entirely human, then just maybe he could trust someone again?

Absurd. Anubisu would never trust anyone. It was a human who gave him the horizontal scar under his eye and a Korin that gave him the vertical. The same Korin had sliced off half of his ear. The elves were nothing but a bunch of idiots, fighting each other for a reason none of them remembered and never listening to reason when someone tried to stop it. Humans, meanwhile, feared anything they couldn't tame, and since they could never tame elves or Sthissians, the non-humans were feared.

Anubisu would never trust anyone as long as he lived. Trusting led to betrayal. That never changed. It was the only constant in this world that would be proven over and over again. Nobody, human or not, could be trustworthy. Everyone found that out in their lives over and over again. Nobody could be trusted in. Nobody was worthy of having faith in them.

Yet Naaza was upset because Anubisu had broken some sort of trust he didn't even know existed. By simply giving the snake a warm blanket when he was cold, Anubisu had somehow done something to give trust to him. Was the snake as insane as he appeared? How had wanting to stop the complaining those few short months ago been a token of trust? The snake had a hard enough life; didn't he understand that nobody was trustworthy?

Yet the Troopers trusted each other.

Anubisu huffed, stood up and shoved the cots out of the way. Once there was space in the room he entered into a series of katas in a vain attempt to unstring the bow he had somehow become. At least the Sthissian wasn't that far of the mark with that statement. The dark elf was still baffled on how just giving a blanket could even start the bonds of trust that would always be broken. He wasn't worthy of trust. He was a banished Yami who had been dishonored simply because his parents wished to raise him were there was no bloodshed. What right did he have to give trust, let alone receive it?

A dishonored elf was never worthy of trust.

Anubisu growled, letting his anger flow out through a punch in his kata. He hated elves. Elves were nothing more than a bunch of upstarts who believed them to be better than everyone else. He didn't need to follow their beliefs, because their beliefs were wrong. He saw that every day. But curse it; he was still raised as an elf! He still hated himself for being dishonored. Just as the light elf probably did.

No, no, no, no! He would not do this to himself. He would _NOT_ feel sympathy for his enemy. He would slay that Korin and prove to himself that even if dishonored, he had some self-worth.

Yet the light elf was trusted by his associates, despite being dishonored. Nobody had ever done that for him. No, he would not go there. He would not feel sympathy, nor would he feel envy for an enemy. The Korin was his foe, someone he would kill with great joy.

Anubisu held a particular stance for a long time. Enemies would be killed. That was all there was in life. There was no trust. There was no reliance. There was only death and pain.

He was still in his stance when Naaza returned to the room. Nothing was said as Naaza pulled his cot away from the wall and slithered into it. Anubisu finally exited his stance and finished his kata. He put the sparse furniture in the room back to where it was and lay on his cot as well.

After blowing out the candle, they both shared the darkness and solitude it provided. However, Anubisu didn't really want solitude at the moment. He'd had enough of that through his life. Perhaps he should experiment in something else. While no human or elf was worth trusting, perhaps a Sthissian was. Maybe even a Doko.

* * *

"It's been raining for three days," Kaosu said softly, gazing outside. Ryo, slightly behind him, nodded. The two stood on the top floor of the tower, where the walls were entirely made of glass, giving a panoramic view of Kaosu's Keep. The rain had dulled the colors of the flower field, and yet made the green of the trees around them even brighter.

"I've never known it to rain more than a day, here," Ryo said suspiciously, looking to his master.

"You have hardly been here long enough to know that. Your longest stay here was, I believe, only fifty years or so."

Ryo smiled. "I suppose that's true." He still had suspicions, though. "They're getting a little antsy, all cooped up in the tower."

"They have been moving constantly for several months. Making them stay in one place is much harder."

"It's been six weeks."

"It has. Time flies."

Ryo openly laughed. "Not while you feel like you're in a class room."

Kaosu nodded slightly. "It is necessary."

Ryo nodded, then turned around, looking to the far side of the tower. The clouds were grey, and only peeks of green peaked out to the tower's height.

"How are they doing?"

Ryo paused, thinking. "That depends on who you are talking about. They all have different levels of experience and strengths which help them learn. Touma, for example, grasps the mechanics of using his maho almost immediately. He'll most likely be one of the most powerful. But he sometimes has trouble getting through the mechanics and just feeling his maho. The more intuitive work is hard for him. Shuu is his polar opposite. He has a full grasp of intuition, but he can't handle the mechanics. He's too practical to know about plate tectonics or fault lines. So while he has no problems tapping into his maho, he has trouble manifesting it. Shin and Seiji are mixes. Shin is more intuitive than he is intellectual, but he grew up by the sea and loves it dearly. He knows a lot about it, and it helps him along if he's having trouble. Seiji is probably the most balanced. He is intellectual by nature, but he is well versed in meditation and katas, and he can switch to intuitive almost immediately. He would be the fastest learner, but…"

"But?" Kaosu prompted.

"Seiji's been slacking slightly, lately. I think him not being able to think of uses for light is really bothering him. He won't tell us that, of course, but I think that's the problem. He doesn't think his maho is as useful as the others, and he's starting to drift off because of it."

Kaosu nodded, still gazing out at the dulled colors of the flower field. "That will change, and soon. What else?"

Ryo raised an eyebrow, confused as he turned to his master. "It will?"

Kaosu turned to his disciple, looking at him pointedly.

"I see. Well, as you know, they've been sparring every night since they got here. Now they're starting to use their maho as they spar. It causes some very interesting uses of maho. Touma used his Shin Ku Ha to keep everyone at bay, and then calmly disarmed them all with a sweep of his hand. Shuu isn't quite as elegant. He used the earth to half sink his opponents and then land a few taps. He almost buried Shin alive when he first tried it. Shin is a bit subtler. He wraps the water around him very thinly. You almost can't see it; and then, when he sees an opening, concentrates it into a beam and shoots it out. Very effective. Seiji hasn't really done more than momentarily blind people. But I already explained his problem."

Kaosu nodded, turning back to the rain. "They are very fast learners."

"I would have been," Ryo said sullenly. "If you understood I was just a simple Rekka."

Kaosu smiled briefly, out of Ryo's sight. "I did understand. I just thought a disciple was special. I was right, of course, but not in the way I thought."

Ryo smiled as well. "You thought I was special? Even back then when I was taking forever to learn?"

The god nodded before replying, "We are all special, Ryo-kun. From every leaf of grass to even a mighty god like myself; we are all special. Many do not realize it; and others think that their specialness only causes them or others pain. But we all have gifts to give. Yours was not to be a fast learner, or a strong warrior. What you are, is heart. While people scorn others and reject them; while people think of useless things like money or possessions; while people see only themselves in this world; you see people. You have the ability to look and see people. I doubt that even Shin-kun knows why Seiji-kun is having problems. But you do. You have been able to do this since I met you. Time has only made you better at it. It is a quality that should be cherished far above something silly like making a double flame cut, or changing into a tiger or horse. You should be as proud of yourself as I am."

Ryo, at a loss for words, could only murmur a "Thank you," wiping a stray tear from his eye.

There was a long moment of silence as the two watched the rain fall. It was a beautiful day.

"What is Byakuen doing?" Kaosu finally asked.

"He's still watching Kouma, I mean, Shuten. He hasn't gotten drunk again, and for that we can all be thankful. For a while I thought he was going to barge into the Keep and try to attack us. They aren't ready for that, and I wouldn't have wanted to explain why we couldn't kill him."

"Do you know why he became inebriated?"

Ryo shook his head. "No. He was gambling with the farmers and he won it. I can only assume he didn't want to waste it."

"There is that, but there was another reason."

Ryo looked to the god in front of him.

"He is starting to sway."

Blinking, Ryo said, "He is?"

"He is not the only one. Naaza and Anubisu are also starting to think. All four of them are slowly starting to respect your four."

"That's great!" Ryo shouted. "That means they're starting to see our side!"

"No, it does not," Kaosu said firmly. Ryo quickly regained control of his enthusiasm. "It merely means that they are being swayed, little more than that. It may be in our favor if they see our side, or it may make them even more steadfast to Arago-san. We must leave them to their own devices."

"Huh? Why? Wouldn't talking to them help?"

"No. Their lives have been much harder than your four. Talking to them would only make them cling to Arago-san all the more. They must be left alone to come to their own decisions. The same applies for the four downstairs. Were it not for the need to train them in their maho, I would rather you left them alone entirely." Ryo's shoulders slumped. "I will not do that, however. I know how attached you've become to them. You will stay with them for the remainder of the journey. Perhaps your presence will help those poor wayward chosen ones."

Ryo bowed to his master and his grandfather and so much more. "I understand."

The red priest walked to the open stairway and started to go down them.

Kaosu continued to watch the rain.

"Kayura-san; you are an excellent game-master. I am glad you were chosen to watch over this match."


	14. Kaosu's Keep 13

Shin listened absently to the faint pattering of rain well over their heads as he looked up the spiral staircase for the umpteenth time. He didn't think there was anything he wouldn't give to go up those stairs with Ryo and see what a god's home was like. Kaosu-sama's no less. But the other four all silently agreed that they weren't ready to trespass upon such sacred ground. Shin still wished, though. He envied Ryo on some levels because the red priest has such a close and strong bond with his god. Shin had always strived for such a bond, but he was beginning to find out that he wasn't nearly as close to Kaosu-sama as he could be. Shin wondered if he could ever be as close as Ryo was.

Repressing a sigh, the monk-sir shook his head. The rain was messing with his head. Being cooped up in a tower for three days did that to a person. He fell into a floor pillow and watched the others in an attempt to distract himself. The ground floor of Kaosu-sama's tower was large, bigger than one would think when they saw it from the outside. There were curved benches on either side, and floor cushions abounded. The study was on the second floor, and the sleeping quarters were on the third. There was apparently no need for a kitchen, since Kaosu-sama blessed them with his own food.

The others were all doing separate things. Touma had immediately fallen in love with the study upstairs, and had passed the three rainy days happily by going through all the books. He was apparently a fast reader, because he would finish a book, no matter how thick, in a matter of hours and go up to get another. Shin wondered how the wayward prince retained all the information.

Shuu was in the middle of the room, his staff in one hand and a maho one he had created in another as he went through a series of complex katas. Shin chided himself as he sometimes forgot how graceful Shuu could be. He was a genius in battle tactics, but his fighting style was often very direct and didn't leave room for more elegant movements. Watching him now, however, reminded Shin of the many different levels that comprised Shuu.

Seiji was also on a floor pillow, his eyes closed and his body erect in some meditation stance as he glowed faintly. His face was furrowed in concentration; leaving Shin to wonder what he was contemplating. He seemed to be removing himself from the others lately, and Shin could not figure out why.

This was getting him nowhere. Shin needed something to do, but his curiosity of what Ryo and Kaosu-sama were talking about was distracting him. Absently, Shin murmured, "Cho Ryu Ha," and started making idle shapes with the water he had called forth.

Pausing, he looked to his shapes. He had made a lot of different things since learning how, but he had never really let himself try anything complicated. He had been scared he wouldn't be able to do it. Furrowing his brow, he thought up a particularly complicated image, what the five of them might look like when they were sparring. He had yet to see Ryo spar with them; probably because they were not yet at his skill level. The five general shapes came forth. The water that was supposed to be Touma was in the air, jumping, with what would be Seiji not far behind, his sword drawn. He and Shuu were on either side of Ryo, their practice weapons drawn, and Ryo was in the middle. Shin focused his attention from one to another, slowly working in the details one by one. The flutter of Touma's cape, the firm muscles of Shuu. Ryo, he had the most trouble with, the water did not seem to want to make him. The Kaosan priest supposed it was because he had never seen Ryo fight.

"Wow! That's really good!" Shin, surprised, looked up to see the object of his concentration standing over him, a broad grin on his face. "You could be an artist if you wanted to."

Shin noticed that everyone was looking at his maho based picture. Flushed at the sudden attention, he lost his concentration and it washed away.

"Shin, you didn't tell me you were an artist!" Shuu said, plopping down next to him. "Do you do paintings and stuff?"

"Ah, not really…"

"There was a lot of detail in that!" Touma said; his book through some miracle very far away from him.

"This was the first time…"

"You do good work," Seiji said softly. "You are very close to your maho."

"A… I guess so…" Shin noticed he was sweatdropping.

"Anyway, there's something I wanted to tell you," Ryo said, joining Shuu and Shin on the floor pillows. Seiji and Touma pulled cushions over and sat with them. All attention was on Ryo.

"Now, I don't know what the endgame is going to be like. I think only Kayura-sama knows that. But I've gotten to read her pretty well."

"Having tea will do that," Shuu said lightly.

"Yeah," Ryo laughed at the joke. "Well, I have a few hints as to what the endgame is going to be like. I should have realized it a lot sooner, considering the even split between you eight."

"Wait," Touma said. "Kaosu-sama-I have to get used to that-Kaosu-sama said that there were ten chosen ones. You keep talking about eight."

Ryo nodded. "There are ten. Badamon and I are the other two."

"But you're disciples."

"We are," Ryo answered. "Kayura-sama is fair, first and foremost. She wanted to make sure that each god had at least one supporter, so she fixed things so that that happened. The people are the ones that called us disciples."

Touma nodded, understanding.

"Where was I…? Oh, yeah. Kayura-sama, like I said, is really bossy. She's also really sure of herself. Not arrogant, but really sure of herself. So she sometimes lets things slip, thinking that you won't pick up on it." Ryo paused suddenly. "Or, she could make the slips deliberately to make us think that… or maybe… Gah! Never mind! Anyway, she's made slips."

Shuu laughed. "So even the Sanada Ryo-sama can't figure out the mind of a god!"

"I've been able to pull together some hints as to what she plans the endgame to be," Ryo said, completely ignoring the Lugan mercenary. "We all have maho for several reasons. The first is to set us apart from the rest of the world and make us identifiable to the gods. It also is a source of power necessary to make the endgame happen. Maho also, I think, helps us make our decisions. That's a guess on my part. There are probably a billion other reasons why we have maho. There is one that acts as a main reason, though."

"And that is?" Seiji asked.

"Our maho acts as a channel for us to go to the astral plane."

Seiji out and out face faulted.

"The realm of the minds that has only been rumored and whispered about is real?"

Ryo nodded. "Of course it is. Didn't you know that?"

Everyone face faulted.

Ryo smiled nervously. "Okay, maybe you wouldn't," he conceded. "What the astral plane is, is a place where only the mind exists. It becomes whatever you so choose, and in it you can do anything your mind creates. It's really very maho based. Elves that have ability and are well trained, can reach it. That's why Seiji can reach it. Some monk-sirs enter the astral plane without realizing it when they pray."

"But why would we need to go to this place?" Shuu asked.

"Well, near as I can tell, to keep damage to a minimum. You've seen some of the more extreme uses of your maho. The more creative you are the more deadly you can be with the use of your maho. You can very easily destroy this whole planet if you focused on it. Imagine what would happen if the eight of you stood off against each other. The damage would be catastrophic. I've worried about that for a long time. I think you all will go to the astral plane and face off there."

"You think?" Touma asked.

Ryo shrugged. "Like Shuu said. I can't figure out the mind of a god. This is my best guess. So, I figured it would be best if I taught you about it."

"Will we get to visit it?" Shin asked.

"I don't know," Ryo replied. "I know that as of right now, you're not really ready for it. Even when you are ready for it, you might not make it. See, I've only been able to go to the astral plane a couple of times myself. I'm not really the meditative type, and, as with everything else, it takes me a lot longer to do it."

"Then it is through meditation that we reach the astral plane?" Seiji asked; his ears high in interest.

"Sort of. Like I said, I'm not the foremost expert. You just sort of reach this state where you're so locked in your own thoughts that you just sort of go there. The three times I went onto the astral plane, I was under some extreme circumstances. The first was just after the Fifty Year War. Kayura had only just been restored, and all the stress of the last half century had finally caught up to me. I was really sick for a while, and somewhere during that I found myself floating in this strange plane. My master told me after it had happened where I was. That was my first hint that it might be used in the endgame. The second time was during the elfin wars with Hashiba. Everyone was unwilling to listen to anyone. I was studying under elves at the time, and was meditating in a vain attempt to relax. The third time was right before I met all of you. Certain signs were staring to show and I was getting really excited. Those were all pretty extreme circumstances. I don't know if that's the norm."

"Did you do anything on that plane thing?" Shuu asked.

"Not really. The first two times I wasn't confident enough to do much more than floating. The third time, I did some experimentation. You can do a lot up there. Like I said, it's the place of the mind. I can't really explain it. You have to be there."

"Then what is the point of telling us all of this if we can't go there?" Touma asked.

"Because you have to know. The last thing I want is for any of your to go into the endgame unprepared. It's the final battle between the gods and the fate of this planet is at stake."

"No pressure," Shuu murmured.

"The point is that while it might not be that big of a battle, while it might not be much more than a bar night fight, a lot of things will be decided with it. I want to be sure you are ready. Besides," he added. "I don't want to see any of you hurt."

* * *

Touma cocked his head from one side to another as he watched. They were sparring again, as was the afternoon ritual. It was so common that now Touma had found himself bored with it. Only recently had he taken a renewed interest in it, because Ryo said it was safe to start using maho.

The Hashiban prince was working on his own, trying to call up his maho at will. When he did access his maho, he could do almost anything. The recurring problem, however, was the time necessary to access his maho. As Ryo had explained, he was not intuitive like Shin or Seiji. Touma was trying to make himself intuitive, or at least intuitive enough that he could call forth a Shin Ku Ha at will, and not have to concentrate on it for a moment.

Seiji and Shin were locked, one trying to anticipate the moves of the other. Shuu was talking with Ryo, trying to get the red priest to spar with him. The Lugan mercenary had been trying since they had entered Kaosu's Keep, but Ryo kept refusing until they were ready.

"Alright! Alright!" Ryo finally cried. Touma looked over to him. "I'll fight with you, but only to show you why I don't want to do this."

The words fell on deaf ears, however. "Yeah! Finally, I get to test my metal against the mighty Sanada Ryo of legend! Who will best whom? Will the experienced disciple of Kaosu-san win out, or will the fresh blood of the sturdy follower of Kayura-sama give the finishing blow? Wohooo!"

Happily, Shuu swung his two staffs, one wood, one maho based, around. Ryo loosened up as well, creating a fire sword and borrowing a spare wand from Seiji. He swung them around until he was comfortable, and easily fell into a defensive stance.

"Aw, you're like Shin? All defense and no offense?" Shuu asked. "What a shame; this will be over with even quicker."

"Oh, it'll be over, alright," Ryo said, a smirk playing across his face. Touma suddenly wondered if this was the first time Ryo ever fought for the sake of the fight and not some life and death match. The thought rolled around in his head as he watched the pair circle each other before he realized that yes, this was probably the first time he had ever sparred. It might have been one of the reasons he did not wish to fight them initially. No matter what, Ryo always watched a sparring match, most likely to not only get a feel for their fighting styles, but also so he could watch what a relaxed fight would be like.

How interesting.

Shrugging, Touma went back to training himself after the third time that Ryo felled Shuu. The difference in skill was not as great as Ryo had led everyone to believe, but the gap was large enough to make it no contest.

Shuu got up again, huffing and panting. "Once more, cat man!" he called. He let his maho based staff dissolve and gripped his normal one with both hands. His brow was furrowed as he concentrated on his opponent.

Ryo shrugged easily, not even winded. "Are you sure? The last thing I want is to hurt you."

The mercenary suddenly grinned wolfishly. "Same goes for you."

Sighing, Ryo dropped into a different stance. "I warned you."

Ryo charged forward, his maho blade leading. Shuu dodged it smartly and locked his staff with Ryo's wooden sword. "Gotcha!" he cried out. "Gen Ta Sai!" The earth under Touma's feet shook with the power Shuu had called up, causing him to lose his concentration and fall down. Looking over, he saw that Seiji and Shin were also on the ground, trying to stay in one place. Looking over to the battle, Touma saw Ryo half submerged in the earth. The red monk-sir only smiled, his mouth forming the words "So En Zan." The fire that erupted burned away the earth into ash, and he lunged forward, the fire forming into a sword. Touma could feel the heat even from where he watched. Shuu was not done, however, as the earth still shook with the Lugan's will.

Dirt, well behind Ryo, formed into a giant snake like shape, growing wings and claws.

"A dragon!" someone shouted.

Well, a rough cut one at least. It towered over Ryo, dropping its great stony fangs onto the tiger eyed man. Ryo, shocked, threw his fiery sword into the jaws, igniting the dragon.

Thoroughly distracted, Shuu took the opportunity to try and land a tap on Ryo. His opponent was faster than expected, however. Ryo whirled around, acting on pure instinct, and slammed his wand into Shuu's shoulder with all his strength. Had the wand been a real sword, Shuu would have been dead.

As it was, Shuu fell to the ground, the earthy dragon following suit, and clutched where he had been hit.

For Touma, it was almost as if time had stopped. Ryo stood there, breathing heavily, over the curled up form of Shuu. Dirt and earth were everywhere, and he, Seiji, and Shin watched dumbly.

"Curse it," Ryo's voice murmured. "Curse it!" he said in a louder voice. He fell to Shuu's side. "Curse it; curse it; curse it! I told you! You weren't ready to fight me! I warned you!"

"Ha!" Shuu laughed in a strained voice. "Says who?"

Seiji sprinted to Shuu, all but appearing by his side he was so fast. Shin followed suit before Touma's brain made the right connections to run over. The light elf gingerly turned Shuu over onto his back, careful not to touch the shoulder. Touma was no expert, but he could tell even from where he was standing that something was dislocated. That was serious. Seiji quickly but delicately removed the mercenary's armor, casting it aside.

"Will all of you shut up!" he suddenly cried out. "Ryo, this is not your fault! Shin, he will be fine! Touma, stop thinking! I need to concentrate!"

Touma blinked. Was he reading minds again?

"So what if I am?" Seiji shouted. Then he turned his attention to Shuu, running his fingers lightly over the shoulder as he assessed the damage.

_Shin, I'm going to need some water. Ryo, get the curses out of here until you have your head back on straight! If you keep shouting at me, I won't be able to do a cursed thing! Touma, see if you can regulate his breathing._

Everyone responded to their instructions, not even bothering to wonder when Seiji had gotten so good at the mental link.

_Shin, use the water to keep him calm. I have to relocate the bone. . . Yes, Touma, like that. This is going to hurt. . ._

Shuu let out a cry of pain as Seiji forcibly reconnected his humorous bone. The mercenary's breathing shortened considerably, but Touma continued to use his maho to keep the breaths long and deep.

_Ryo! Don't bother me!_

_No, Seiji, listen!_

_Blame yourself later!_

_Seiji, you can heal him!_

_I'm already doing that!_

_NO! I MEAN USING YOUR MAHO!_ Ryo's mental voice all but thundered over Seiji's. Touma and Shin visibly backed up, so loud was Ryo's voice.

_My. . . maho?_

_Yes! The human body is made up of light and energy, according to quantum physics._ Touma blinked. _You can manipulate that light and heal Shuu! Do it!_

Quantum physics? Ryo really was a graduate of Hashiba University. Only the most elite could wrap their minds around stuff like that. The human body was made up of water, light, and energy. They now had two people on the team that could manipulate that. Touma whirled. Maho was proving to be a very powerful thing.

_Touma! Shut up!_ Seiji cried. _I'm trying to concentrate._

Oops. Touma quickly refocused his efforts on keeping Shuu's labored breaths deep and even.

"Rei Ko Zan," Seiji whispered. A soft green light enveloped the light elf's hands as he placed them on either side of Shuu's shoulder. The light seemed to transfer itself to the mercenary, and Shuu visibly relaxed as pain washed away from his face. Touma let go of the breath he'd involuntarily been holding and everyone sighed in relief. Slowly lifting his hands away from Shuu, Seiji fell back onto his knees, gasping for breath. Apparently, it had been as taxing on the elf as it had been on the Lugan.

"What just happened?" Shin asked tentatively after a long period of silence.

"Seiji healed Shuu," Touma stated.

"I know that! I mean, Seiji was doing that mental link thing to everyone, and he put his hands on Shuu and now he's better. Was that all his maho, or more? Was Kaosu-sama watching over us?"

"There's no doubt my master was watching over us," Ryo said, slumping to the ground. "But 'what happened' was all Seiji. Light, with proper training, makes people more susceptible to things like mental links. His upbringing in an elfin society also contributes to that. His Yami counterpart probably also was the first to master the mental linkage between his teammates. Seiji, I'm willing to bet, has been able to hear all of us for a while now. He just never got the hang of the talking part."

Seiji nodded affirmation to what Ryo had said.

"As far as healing goes, well, I guess you could say it was a matter of chi."

The elf nodded. "When I realized that, it was easy. What I had always thought of as chi was really the light of a person. It is as easy to move as it is to track. I merely moved the negative chi away from the damaged areas, and brushed it with positive chi."

"Huh?"

"It worked, whatever you did," Shuu said as he rolled his shoulder around. He winced slightly. "Well, mostly anyway."

Seiji leaned over, examining the shoulder. "It is merely phantom pain. Your body thinks it is still injured. After a day or so it will go away."

". . . Right." Shuu turned to Ryo. "You win. I won't spar you until you say so."

Ryo breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. You scared me half to death."

Shuu grinned. "Oh, I don't know. I think the dragon idea was kind of cool."

"Shuu!"

* * *

Seiji dragged Shin out into the forest two days later.

"Seiji, what are we doing?" Shin protested. "Can't you at least give me a hint? Seiji? Hello?"

But Seiji was too focused to let little questions get to him. He just kept a firm hold of the monk-sir's wrist and tugged until he had found a clearing. It was near the lake, good for Shin, and had full command of the midday sun. Finally coming to a stop, Seiji dropped to the ground, sitting cross legged in the grass. Shin followed suit more slowly, still uncertain as to why he was dragged out.

"Will you answer my questions now?" Shin asked.

The blond elf nodded.

"Why'd you drag me out here?"

"I want to try something."

"Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Shin demanded, more than a little annoyed.

"I did not want the others to know in case it did not work."

"In case what didn't work? Seiji, stop being so mysterious!"

Pursing his lips, Seiji explained. "Ryo had said that the human body was made up of light. Correct?"

"Yes," Shin answered, not sure where this was going.

"You once stated that the human body was ninety-something percent water. Yes?"

"Yes."

"I can heal."

"Yes."

"Can you?"

Shin paused, the information clinking together in his head audibly. "Oh! I see. Can I manipulate the water the same way you manipulate the light in order to heal someone?"

"Yes."

"I don't know. I've never tried it before."

"That is why I brought you out here." Seiji continued as he rolled off one of his armbands. "I want to try something, but if the others saw it they would surely protest. If it does not work, I can fix it myself. Here," Seiji pulled out one of Touma's daggers, and dragged it along the length of his forearm. He winced slightly as he broke the skin, drawing a thin line of blood.

"Seiji? What?" Shin cried out.

Ignoring him, Seiji held out his cut arm. "Heal it."

Shin blinked, not expecting such a direct experiment. Determination spread across his features, however, and he gave a stout nod. "Alright." The blue clad man held his hands over Seiji's arm and closed his eyes, concentrating. "Cho Ryu Ha," he whispered.

Slowly, a tingling sensation spread over Seiji's arm. A pale blue light softly lit the cut, barely noticeable it was so dim. One spot of intensity appeared, and worked its way down the cut, moving at a snail’s pace. Where it passed, the skin closed together, knitting itself. By the time Shin was done, only a faint white scar left any knowledge of their being a cut on Seiji's arm.

Shin was sweating, obviously exhausted.

Seiji looked at his friend with a concerned eye. Absently, he muttered, "Rei Ko Zan," and ran his finger along the white scar. It disappeared completely.

"You make it look so easy," Shin complained.

"It wasn't easy for you?" Seiji asked, surprised.

"No, not at all," Shin replied. "I had to look at every drop of blood and flake of skin and move it individually. There must have been millions upon millions of those little cells that I had to work with."

"That is very odd," Seiji said, looking at his healed arm. "I merely look at the light patterns, and wipe away the ones that do not belong there."

The pair frowned, trying to assimilate the new information.

"Ryo did say that I was more suited for illnesses. Are they any different than injuries?"

Seiji shrugged his shoulders. "I do not know. No one has been sick since our acquisition of our maho."

"Something to keep in mind, isn't it?"

Seiji nodded. "It is."

* * *

Touma stretched out in the flower field, uncertain what to do next. Since the earth dragon incident, Ryo was ultra-cautious around the other four. Understandable, Touma supposed. It was starting to wear off a little as things settled down, but it would still be a few days before there was another lesson. So, for the moment, the blue haired prince had nothing to do. The mornings, they all normally gathered for a lesson or some sort of progress report with Ryo, and the afternoons they practiced what they had learned. There had been no lessons for four days

A distant screech filtered into Touma's ears, and he opened his eyes, looking to the sky. A familiar hawk was circling him, each loop lower and lower in the sky. Sitting up, Touma raised his gloved hand and the bird landed, folding her wings behind her and looking supremely satisfied with herself.

"Had a good hunt, did you?" Touma asked.

She lowered her head twice, and then turned so that Touma could only see one of her eyes. She winked.

"It must have really been good, then, girl."

The hawk screeched her agreement.

Touma laughed. "I envy you, girl. You can fly. It must be so great."

Suddenly, the prince blinked. "Hey, lady. How do you fly?"

Blinking, the hawk looked like Touma had asked the stupidest question in the world.

"You're probably right. But I want to learn how to fly. My maho is the wind; I'm descended from the Tenkuu. I should be able to fly. I've loved astrology, meteorology, and ornithology all my life. I could hold a bow before I could walk, I've been hawking since I was six. I WANT to fly."

The hawk let out a squawk that almost sounded like a laugh, and then jumped off the prince, taking flight.

Touma made a face, but said nothing, his mind drifting on thoughts of flight.

While he sat, thinking, Shuu and Shin walked by. The two were deeply immersed in conversation.

"But how did you make that dragon?" Shin pressed.

"Well, I just sort of imagined it. I pictured it coming to life and moving, and it did. I got the idea when you made that water sculpture thing that one rainy day. If a body can put that much detail into little picture, they should be able to have enough to make it move. So when I was fighting, I just sort of tried it out. I think it came out pretty cursed good."

"So I guess it's like when I tried to heal Seiji a few days ago. I had to picture every little speck of flesh and blood in order to close the cut he gave himself. I never realized how many of those little specks there were until I healed the cut. And that was just one small cut! Imagine how many of those are in the human body!"

"Well, I guess you can, now," Shuu said lightly. He turned to the blue haired prince as he passed. "You coming to lunch?" he asked.

"In a minute," Touma replied absently, his mind working very fast. Upon listening to that conversation, the Hashiban prince realized something. The reason he could not come into contact with his maho as readily as the others, the reason he could not fly, was because he spent too much time thinking about the mechanics of how it was done. Ryo had said on the very first day that maho primarily dealt with the mind concentrating on what it wanted the maho to do. He spent too much time fussing about how to do it; when he should have really been focusing on just doing it.

Slowly, deliberately, Touma put the image of himself several feet above the ground into his mind. That firmly in place, he said his phrase. "Shin Ku Ha."

There was a light breeze, and Touma found himself lifted up off the ground, the precise distance he had pictured.

"Woah. . ."

So shocked that he had managed to do it, Touma lost his concentration and fell the few feet he had raised. Blinking, he tried again, this time raising himself even higher.

He did not lose concentration, and slowly, started to float around the field. Happy beyond any measure, Touma laughed outright. He was flying! He was flying! By the gods, he was flying! A giddy feeling filtered its way through Touma, making him shake in happiness. He rose and fell several feet, climbing and weaving throughout the air currents. He reached the height of the trees; walked among the clouds.

A screech echoed behind him, and Touma turned to see his hawk flying by him. "Look, lady! I'm flying! No wonder you love it so much!" This was the most beautiful thing he had ever experienced. He hated the idea of ever landing. But, when he looked down, he saw that, like the lady hawk flying with him, all things eventually landed. Suddenly crestfallen, Touma lowered himself to the ground.

He was breathless.

"Touma?"

The prince turned to see Ryo standing behind him. He had a mysterious smile on his face.

"Yes?"

"Enjoy it while you can. In a while, the only time you'll do that is when you have to accomplish something."

Smiling, Touma thanked Ryo and quickly headed back up to the heights.

* * *

The next day, Ryo gathered the other four at the base of Kaosu's tower. "Today," he said happily. "I have a treat for you. Follow me." He led them into the tower, and started to climb the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Seiji asked.

"The top floor."

"The top floor?" Shin cried out. "But, Kaosu-sama lives there!"

Ryo nodded. "Yes. You've always been allowed up there. But none of you took the initiative, so he's formally invited you."

Everyone face faulted onto the stairs.

Finally, after several protests and excuses, Ryo was able to drag everyone up to the panoramic top floor. The circular shape of the room was encased in glass, displaying the flower field and the forest surrounding them. The furniture was sparse, consisting only of a large cushioned chair and five floor pillows, each of a different color. One red, two blue, one orange, and one green. Ryo confidently walked to the red cushion and sat down. Hesitantly, the other's followed suit. Kaosu was in the chair, his face perpetually covered by the large kasee he wore. There was the smallest of smiles on his face.

"Rekka no Ryo, Korin no Seiji, Suiko no Shin, Kongo no Shuu, Tenkuu no Touma. I wish to tell you all something. You have done well."

Everyone smiled.

"In the seven weeks that you have been here, you have all performed magnificently. You are all fast learners, and have enormous amounts of skill. You have each grown in your own ways, excelled in your own strengths. You are all unique. Each of you has special abilities that will serve you in the trials to come, and some in the trials beyond what is to come. You will learn things about yourselves and about your friends. You will learn things about the other four as well. And you will learn about us as well."

"Us?" Shuu asked.

"Of Arago-san, Kayura-san, and myself."

"Like what?" asked Touma.

Kaosu's mysterious smiled broadened ever so slightly. "Many things, I suppose. I will tell you one thing about Arago-san and myself. We each have an idea as to what an ideal world would be like. Part of the endgame is for you to choose which world you want."

"Then that should be easy," Shin said. "Yours."

Kaosu shook his head. "That is incorrect. You do not see that now, because you have been raised to overlook the positive points that Arago-san offers."

"Like what?" Shin demanded, forgetting himself.

"Arago-san brings many things to the table. He is not some blindly evil villain. He is in actuality quite cunning. Were he to win, this world would thrive on intelligence and ability. They would be the noble class, with him as the godhead. A person's ambitions would be realized, no matter how selfish or noble. Arago-san believes that the ends justify the means. It is why he plays the way he does. He feels justified in doing so. However, Arago-san also believes that the individual should come before the group. Self-preservation, impulse, and revenge are accepted, even idealized. That is his great trap. Such things would bring about continual conflict, as individuals are all unique; each individual would somehow trample or belittle another's.

"My ideal world is very different. I put the group in front of the individual. Responsibility and philosophy and fairness are ruling factors. Conflict would be minimal between kingdoms. Those who are selfless would rule, as were those who are self-sacrificing. However, this is not a perfect world. The individual's needs are not met, and some people would be unhappy. If they were in a position that they did not like, then they would have no means to leave it. They would feel unsatisfied, and unfulfilled.

"Neither world is perfect. That is something I want you to understand. You will have to choose which is the better of these imperfect choices. It is something that you must keep in mind while you travel. There is more than just my way."

Shuu raised his hand. "Which world does Kayura-sama support? Or does she have one of her own that she wants?"

Kaosu looked to Shuu. There was a long pause before the god answered. "Kayura-san is the game master. She cannot show any preference to either world, lest she become biased. I believe she has her own world in mind. What that is, I do not know. I suspect she does not want to share it until the endgame has occurred."

Kaosu stood, the five hastily following suit. "You all have many trials on the road ahead. You will be forced to see many things that you either did not know, did not want to know, or choose not to see. You will suffer, and you will grow. When you are ready, I will be waiting with Kayura-san and Arago-san. Be safe."

With that, the conversation ended.

Ryo lead the others back down the round tower and out into the flower field, where the horses were saddled and waiting.

"We're leaving?" Seiji asked.

"As much as I'd like to stay here," Ryo answered. "We're on something of a time table. If at all possible, I want to cross the Lugan mountains before winter. It's already mid-summer, and stopping off at Sthiss is not going to be pleasant."

"Why are we crossing the mountains?" Shin questioned.

"We're going to castle Yagyu."

"What's that?" inquired Touma. "I never heard of that place."

"The Yagyu family are the descendants of Kenbukyo. He sacrificed his life to finish the Kikoutei mirror in order to cure Kayura-sama. There's a whole story to that that I'll get into later. They were the ones that kept the Inochi no Madatama. Yagyu castle has been our ultimate destination from the beginning. We've just been taking the ultra-roundabout route."

"I see," Touma said as he easily mounted. "So I guess our next stop is Peace. We can get a boat there and go west upriver."

"Exactly."

Shin gave one last look at Kaosu's Keep. "I'm going to miss this place."

Ryo nodded, walking beside the horses as they started the next leg of their journey.

"It's never easy leaving here. Never."

* * *

Shuten hurriedly tightened the girth of his horses saddle, mounting it quickly. He had overslept that morning, and when he sent out his perceptions to the Troopers, he was shocked to find them three miles south of the Keep. Packing was rushed, and he dug his heels into his horse, getting her into a fast trot. The brown horse replied in kind, happy for the exercise. He skirted the forest south.

Once he had cleared it, he sent out his perceptions again. The Troopers were making a good pace. He urged his mount a little faster so that he wouldn't lose their tracks easily.

The horse refused to comply, however, and skittered off the road. Wondering what was wrong with the stupid animal now, he looked around.

Only to see the white tiger he had met earlier coming at them at full speed.

Cursing vehemently, Shuten swung his mare around and reached for his kusari-gama. Only then did he remember that the brown eyed tiger had taken it. Another string of curses exited the Kitsune's mouth.

Before he could decide on a course of action, the tiger stopped. Its tail was high in the air; the cat was obviously pleased with himself for some reason. Upon closer inspection, Shuten realized that the weapon he had lost was in the tiger's mouth. Of all the luck! How was he supposed to get it from the tiger without the animal eating him?

Luck was rolling his way, however, as the giant cat dropped the kusari-gama onto the grassy field. He gave what sounded like a happy roar, and then just as happily trotted off back to Kaosu's Keep.

What the curses had just happened?

Not about to question divine intervention, or the intelligence of a dumb beast, Shuten rode his skittish mount over to his weapon and picked it up. Disgusted with the coating of cat that was left on it, he quickly remounted and pulled out a rag, determined to clean it.

After over an hour, he could no longer smell the tiger on his precious kusari-gama. Finally able to focus on the task at hand, he thought belatedly that maybe he should contact Rajura and tell him the news.

He quickly sent out his thoughts.

* * *

Rajura loved quiet, early mornings. When no one was moving around and all there was, was him. He was an early person by nature, and in a sea of late risers lately, he found himself inundated with quiet mornings.

He had awoken with the sun. Still comfortable under the sheets, Rajura rolled onto his back and stared up at the plaster ceiling. The sun was just starting to peek onto the surface.

Plans were going well. He knew that those Troopers would need to come to Peace. It was the only city of mentionable size in Lilimundralle. The best means of travel after that that was by ship. Either they would head upriver to Sthiss or the Lugan mountains, or they would go by sea south to Yang Shi. Or they could ferry across to Yang Shi. Either way, they would need a ship. So, Rajura had become close to the head of the Seaman's Guild in Peace. For the past several weeks, he posed as a potential client, trying to work out the details of his very first overseas commission.

Last night his work had come to fruition. He had completed the billing and contract with the Guild head and off he went to sea on a phony mission to southern Yang Shi. He would be gone for three months as he fought the northbound currents of midsummer. Rajura grinned at the thought of the look on the seaman's face when he came to port with no buyer. By then it would be mid-fall and the currents would have switched to a southern pull. He would be fighting the seas both ways, and not return for at least half a year. It gave him enough of a padding to handle the Troopers whenever they came.

The second part of his plan was to now impersonate the head of the Guild. After the weeks of talking to, dining with, and making nice to the head, Rajura had gotten close enough to the captain to learn his habits, behaviors, and idiosyncrasies. He had also gotten very close to the seaman's wife. That was a bonus that worked to his benefit. Now, if necessary, he could be seen with the woman, casting the illusion of the seaman to everyone but her.

Shifting under the covers, he turned to his side to look out the window and watch the rising sun. Now all he had to do was to wait for the Troopers to arrive. Then, they would come to him in search for a boat, and he would put them on a ship of his choosing, piloted by only the vilest of crewmembers.

Rajura sighed. He hated those Troopers. He hated them with a passion.

Why did he hate them?

Because they felt wanted.

The Gen were travelers, gypsies, and performers. They were never wanted in Yang Shi. Every city turned them away, or brought them in to humiliate them. His mother and brother wanted him, but they were lynched right before his eyes. Arago only needed him, and Badamon only used him. He had not felt wanted since he was ten years old.

Last night had reasserted his old insecurities. He had managed to shove those feelings aside while he focused on work, but now those somber thoughts filled his mind.

The Guild head's wife was quite accustomed to having her husband gone for long voyages. She managed to keep herself entertained, as she had done last night when Rajura had called on her to see how she was. If only for a few hours, Rajura felt wanted.

The Gen cursed himself for letting himself get carried away before. It was a rare occurrence, but every time he cursed himself afterwards. Rajura didn't need to be wanted. He didn't need to be anything. All he needed was to succeed and gain Arago's favor. When that happened, then he would be wanted by everyone. People would line up to be with him.

At least that's what he thought.

"Raji-kun?"

Rajura looked over to the seaman's wife. She was indeed beautiful, and Rajura smiled despite himself. He stopped his line of thinking immediately and looked away. He wouldn't let himself be weak again.

"Raji-kun? Is something wrong?"

"Not at all. I got word that some former associates of mine are coming to town."

"Oo, more men of business?"

"They would tell you they were men of the future."

"Sounds like they're stuck up little boys."

Rajura grinned. "They are at that."

"You don't have to do business with them, do you?" the wife asked.

"I'm afraid I'll have to," Rajura said with resignation in his voice. A sudden idea formed in his head.

"Is there any way you can get out of it?" she asked. "Or maybe short change them?" She suddenly grinned. "You are very good at short changing."

Rajura looked to the woman, smiling innocently. He then let his eyebrows lift, as if a sudden idea sprang to his mind. "I have an idea! It would be fun!" At a curious smile, Rajura continued. "Your husband is on voyage. These associates don't know what he looks like. Why don't I impersonate him?"

The woman frowned. "Won't they recognize you?"

"We've only been in contact via transactions. We've never met face to face. I know them by reputation, though. I can spot them. I can pose as your husband, and when the five come to him--me--I can put them on the ricketiest, run down, old ship in port we can find. They'll sink halfway to wherever they're going, or if they don't, then all their cargo will be damaged. They lose the profit, and I get the dividends. And the added satisfaction of ruining their season."

The wife smirked. "You are a cunning one, aren't you?"

Rajura shrugged easily. "A trader like myself always has to be cunning."

The smirk spread to a smile. "Why not? It will be entertaining. I wish I could see those children's faces when they lose all their money."

Rajura grinned as well. "I suppose I'll need a lot of practice."

The Guild head's wife gave a sultry smile. "I suppose you will."

Even if only for a few days, Rajura would be able to hold the illusion of being wanted. While he of all people hated illusions as substitutes, he also saw their use. When something as unattainable as being wanted needed to be asserted, often illusions were the only things available. Rajura knew he would never be wanted, so he took the illusion when he could get it. He might have hated the falsity of it, but on some level, he could not let it go. He wanted that feeling. He craved it, on some levels. Even despite his multiple protests, Rajura always tried to maintain honesty to himself. It was hard, like at times like these, because he did not like admitting imperfections, few as they were. Here, he had to admit that he liked being with the captain's wife. She did a very good job of making any man feel wanted.

On some level, he knew that what she offered was not right for him. He knew that what he needed emotionally could only be offered by someone who was sincere. Yet he had yet to meet anyone who was completely sincere except for his mother.

And the Troopers.

Curse it. Why was he suddenly thinking about them? That cursed mercenary was undoubtedly the most sincere of all. The light long ear was aloof. Any sincerity he displayed was masked by polite words. The prince was only sincere in his feeling sorry for himself. The priest-sir, while sincere, was blind to the ways of the world, and was doomed to failure. Shuu, the Lugan, knew the world because of the life of a mercenary. He knew both sides of the coin, yet still meant everything he said. Gods curse him. How could he not be jaded? He was the only one of the five who was not sheltered and he was not jaded!

The Lugan, the mercenary, meant every word that he said, never lied, and enjoyed his life. He was useful to the other Troopers as the battle strategist and, from Shuten's reports, haggler. He was used to the fullest of advantage because of that. Even if past all that he were not to have any positive points at all, he would still be around the other four because they wanted him around. They WANTED him around. That cursed mercenary had everything that Rajura did not. He hated the Lugan with every fiber of his being.

Rajura would never be wanted. There was no one who would want him. He never dared show anyone his true self because no one wanted to see it.

Not even a seaman's wife.


	15. Kaosu's Keep 14

Touma stroked the feathers of his hawk, which was snoozing on his shoulder. It had been about three days since they had left Kaosu's Keep and he felt as if he were leaving home for the second time. When he had left Hashiba, escaping from the phony debt charges, partaking on this bizarre quest that made more sense than his life sometimes, he was lucky that he had worked things out with his uncle. He hadn't even had time to say good bye to his parents. But he was sure his uncle had explained things to them. Whenever he had left his place of birth before the most recent occasion, it had been to escape his . . . unique uncle and the responsibilities of the crown that had weighed so heavily on him.

But leaving this time was different. He had a purpose that wasn't a selfish one. So leaving home had been more difficult than normal. Now he was leaving what had become a second home. Kaosu's Keep had been the home he had wanted as a child. A place where you learned what you wanted because you wanted to. Where there was no political pressure to make you watch your step every moment. So it had come to feel like home. Touma hoped that when this quest was all over, he'd be able to return to both of his homes. He wanted to visit both places for as long as he lived.

A question came to his mind.

"Ryo?" he asked, looking down to the walking disciple. "Now that we have maho, will we be immortal like you?"

Ryo looked up, eyes wide in surprise. "I'm not immortal," he replied, placing his chin in his hands. "I can be killed in battle. It's almost happened a few times over the centuries." He rubbed his raven hair. "I don't know. I know that, as a Rekka, I can shift my form to that of a child and start living all over again. Other Rekka have done that before. I like the age I'm at now, so I don't really bother with that. I don't 'relive' my life over and over."

"That doesn't exactly answer my question," Touma stated. "Since we have maho now, will we live as long as you have?"

"It's not an easy question to answer," Ryo retorted. "I don't think I can answer that, since I don't know exactly what has made me survive for as long as I have. Rekka get old and die, just like humans. They can recycle life, but it doesn't last as long as I've been alive, since the inside of the body doesn't regress as much as a Rekka might want. It could be my swords, since they are one of the gifts. It could be my maho. I really don't know."

Shuu reigned up beside them. "You mean the gifts can be used to grant immortality?"

"I don't know," Ryo repeated. "Why?"

"When I was growing up in Luga, it was rumored that the Kaosan gift could grant the wielder great power, and the Aragon gift could grant great destruction. Only the Kayuran gift could be used by humans." Shuu frowned. "Does that mean we'll be fighting any old person who could get their hands on these gifts after this is all over?"

Shin shifted on his mount, turning his head to face them. "In the Kaosan texts I've studied, the three gifts of the gods are said to only have two purposes. One worldly and one godly. Only a specific human can do the worldly task required of the gift."

"Which is what's brought us here," Ryo interjected, wiping his brow from the warm summer sun. "All the worldly tasks have been accomplished. All that remains are the godly. And that will happen soon. I just wish I knew more about when."

"What were the worldly tasks?" Seiji asked.

"Well, the first worldly task was that of Arago-baka's gift, the Go Retsu Ken."

"To protect you," Shin stated.

"Yes. The second gift was Kayura-sama's. The Kikoutei mirror restored her after I brought her back from Arago-baka. That task was done by Kenbukyo. One of Kayura-sama's first followers."

"We have a lot of legends about him," Shuu nodded.

"The third gift was the Inochi no Madatama, my master's gift. It was used by Badamon. All the gods felt it, but I haven't been told what happened. With the last of the worldly things done, all that's left is the godly, which means that the endgame is coming soon."

Touma absorbed this information. How close was the endgame? What would happen during it? What would Shuten's purpose in it be, or his own? Touma's thoughts were brought back to the trial, and his head dropped, waking his hawk. The Oni mark. He had never known that such a thing even existed. And he would have the power to use it. Why? He never liked punishing people, since he would invariably see the other side of the story. Shuten had every right to hate the royal family. But couldn't the Kitsune see that Touma didn't want to deal with those negative aspects? Or even the positive ones. Touma just couldn't say that he was better than everyone else in his country simply because he was royalty.

So would he choose himself over his people? Would he be like Arago and be selfish, like he'd been for a good portion of his life, or would he choose Kaosu's way and put his people before himself?

* * *

Seiji's ears twitched. They were about two weeks ride from Peace and he was feeling very odd. Normally, an elf would not spend much time brooding about things. An elf felt what he needed, then observed and thought about the information and then take action. Upon meeting someone to deal with, an elf would both form a base opinion there and then later learn what they could about the person in question. At a recurring meeting with that person, an elf would call up the information that they knew and treat the person accordingly. This manner of dealing with people prevented elves from being bogged down by analyzing confrontations after the fact.

Yet Seiji was not following those guidelines. In fact, he was following them less and less. Since starting this journey with his companions-his friends-he has thought a lot about various conversations and incidents he had with them. He also thought of how he might have improved things in Daasa Laska. Ryo's advice the days before entering his home reviewed themselves over and over in his head and how things might have turned out differently if he had done things differently. It was very unlike him.

He was also, when dealing with his friends, not acting based on his knowledge of them. Instead he was acting more based on his feelings. None of his schooling had prepared him for something like this. He didn't know if he should be worried about how he was starting to think and act, or if he was becoming more like himself by acting in this manner.

Seiji looked up to the hot summer sun, asking its gentle rays for guidance. It was a habit he had started to form once he became connected to his maho. The sun was no longer so bright that he could not look. When he was growing up he had often tried to stare at the sun when he was troubled, but now he could actually do it.

The light merely continued to shine. Seiji looked down to his horse. This train of thought was getting him nowhere. He should pursue something else in his thinking. However, his mind betrayed him. So he should instead try talking with his friends. It would probably be the best way to distract him.

"Ryo," he started, "You went to the University of Hashiba, correct?"

"Yes," Ryo replied. "You've all been full of questions lately . . ."

"What did you study while you were there?"

Ryo fell face first into the dirt road. Touma wasn't that far behind, though his horse didn't let him reach the ground.

"Come to think of it," Touma muttered from his saddle, "my uncle searched the enrollment files of the university. Your name never came up. And how did you even get into our university?"

Ryo peeled his face out of the road. "Will you guys ever run out of questions?" Ryo stood up again and started to walk along the horses again. "Well, I was at the university about two centuries ago. In fact, I studied there for almost a full century."

"I would think that your various sensei would notice someone there longer than they have been . . ."

Seiji watched Ryo smile, then chuckle. As Ryo laughed, his form shifted to that of an older man, bearded and in the clothes of a professor. His voice lowered and deepened to that of a burly mercenary, though his appearance was more like a retired professor. "You all seem to forget that I'm a Rekka," Ryo's new deep voice resonated. "I was one of several retired professors who chose to study different subjects. It took almost a century to learn everything I needed in order to enter the university and graduate like a normal student would do."

Seiji's ears twitched as he watched the old professor shuffling by his side sift back into the form of Ryo. It was still unnerving to see him shift his shape, though he had done so more frequently. A thought occurred to him.

"Ryo, you know who our adversaries are, correct?"

"Yes."

"Can you take their form?"

Ryo stopped in his tracks.

"What did you ask of me?"

"We know what Shuten looks like, but what of the other three? One was in some sort of disguise and we have not encountered the other two yet."

"He has a point," Shuu added. "If we knew who our opponents were, we might have an easier time spotting them in the crowd and taking appropriate measures."

"True," Touma agreed. "Knowing what our enemies look like might be the edge we need. They already know what we look like, obviously, so it would put us on even ground."

"That's right," Shin replied. "If we have to fight Arago, we'll have to fight his scum."

The four reigned in their horses, awaiting Ryo's reply. Seiji noted, however, that Ryo's head was down, his shoulders shaking. This was very different from what they normally saw of their cheerful friend. His chi was very different from how it normally was. Seiji normally identified Ryo's chi by its gentle warm glow, but right now, it was an inferno sparking around the fiery disciple.

"Well?" Shuu asked. "What do our opponents look like?"

"I refuse," Ryo replied quietly.

"What?" Touma asked, leaning down to hear.

"I REFUSE!" Ryo looked up, his blue eyes aflame with anger. "Haven't you listened to anything I've been telling you at _all_ since this all started?"

Not accustomed to such anger from the always-smiling disciple, everyone sat back, their horses retreating a few steps from the angry figure.

"What do you mean?" asked Shin, his voice soft. "I don't understand."

"Obviously," Ryo retorted. "I will _not_ under any circumstances show you what the other four look like as long as you continue to act this way. I thought all four of you understood, but clearly you don't."

"Where's all this coming from?" Shuu demanded. "What are you so mad about? We're risking our skins! Yes, we want to, but we have a right to know what we're up against. You keep saying you've been watching over them for years; same way you've been watching us! What are their weak points, their strong points? How do we best attack them?"

"_That's the wrong assumption_!" Ryo shouted, his voice spooking the horses. Seiji and Shin were thrown from their mounts, while Touma and Shuu struggled to control their own. The pack horses skittered away, dragging Shin's mount with them since he had been leading them that day. "Haven't you heard anything that my master and I have been saying? _Those four are not the enemy_!" Once more the horses spooked.

"Excuse me," Touma yelled, trying to calm his stallion, "but Shuten did a fairly good job of acting like an enemy when he put us all on trial!"

"And so'd the partner who was in disguise," Shuu added. "What the curses are you talking about?"

"Don't you get it?" Ryo shouted, barely reigning in his fury. "I thought you understood that the reason they are under Arago-baka is because their lives have been hard! So difficult that it was easy for Badamon to snatch them up and take them to that fraud of a god! _Arago-baka_ is the enemy, not the four who follow him!"

Seiji's blood boiled. "A dark spawn is always the enemy," he retorted. "Of course a Yami would follow Arago; they are ripe for the darkness."

Shin sat up from the ground. "Sthissians are said to be violent. Violence would lead to Arago's line of thinking."

With speed that Seiji had not seen before, Ryo swiftly punched Shin and himself, then tackled Shuu and Touma, throwing them from their horses and landing a fist on their faces as well.

Seiji held his cheek, too stunned to even heal it. All of them stared in shock at Ryo.

"Don't be so judgmental," he stated coldly. "Back when I was a kid, there was a very good proverb. 'Don't judge a person until you've walked a mile in their boots.' None of you know what sort of lives the other four have had. You think you've had it rough? Ha!" Ryo glared at them all. "Touma, you think it's rough just having the crown? You have your family. Shuten _watched_ as his entire family was wiped out by the order of your grandfather. He barely survived. Seiji, if you think it's bad that you've been dishonored, you're wrong. That 'dark spawn' was a border elf. When his family tried to take him away from the fighting, they were labeled as dishonored and cast out into a long and cold winter. Shuu, you want justice for what happened in Hashiba? The illusionist watched his tribe get decimated simply because they were different. He's never had an ounce of justice in his entire life. Shin, you've never seen how Sthissians are treated. This one was conceived because a priest raped his mother, so he's half and half. He grew up hated by both humans and Sthissians alike."

Ryo let out a long breath, his eyes still bright with anger. "You all should realize that just because they follow Arago-baka, doesn't mean that they are the enemy." He walked over to the skittish pack horses, calmed them quickly, and started down the road again.

The four left behind stared at each other as Ryo's words sunk in. Each sat for a long time as Ryo continued down the road until he was out of sight. Finally, under a silent agreement, the four got up, remounted, and trotted after the disciple that had just thrown their unknown ignorance into their faces.

* * *

Shin went through the mechanics of cooking that night, deep in his own thoughts as they all had been throughout the day. Nobody had spoken since the argument from that morning. Dinner was covered by a heavy silence that weighed on everyone's shoulders. Once the food was eaten, Seiji pulled away from the fire and started to meditate. Ryo went to the still-skittish horses. Shuu and Touma went out hunting. Shin was left by himself by the fire. The cooking utensils needed to be cleaned, but he decided to leave that for the morning. Instead, he sat back and looked into the flames, hoping that they might offer some insight to Ryo's outburst.

He had had a point. The four of them didn't know what their opposing four had been through. Ryo had given bits and pieces, but he'd never given entire histories on each of their opponents. Not that "opponents" was really the word that Shin should be using, but he didn't know what else to call them. They would fight them. Yet Ryo had been rather adamant that they were not the enemy. Shin didn't know how to categorize them otherwise. The four under Arago were against them. By definition, didn't that make them the enemy?

Shin stoked the fire and pulled out his teapot and tea leaves. He had gotten fresh water from a nearby stream, so tea seemed like the best thing to do. He needed it.

Running through the various texts he'd read about Sthissians, Shin could not see how a Kaosan priest could be the one who violated a woman. Any monk-sir that he had known had always been an honest and caring person, man or woman. However, to think a follower of Kaosu would deliberately hurt someone, Sthissian or not, was a little hard to swallow. The texts stated that Sthiss was set up as a theocracy because the snake people who inhabited the jungles were drug-loving, immoral, cheats who had no compunction over killing a man for a few coins. Since Kaosan sirs were benevolent, the person who first contacted the Sthissians became the High Kamek. Shortly thereafter, Sthiss ended up in political upheaval and had been in that situation ever since. The Sthissians refused the Kaosan way and revolted.

However, that was all according to the ancient texts of monk-sirs. After everything Shin had been seeing, he was forced to admit that his texts were hardly ever accurate, or even close to the truth. So he wondered about Sthiss. He had never been there before. Monks in Sthiss were said to use their training in fighting the most there. From Shin's experience, it was always the delinquents in his priest-sir apprenticeship that were sent to the jungle country.

Shin sighed and sipped his tea. Ryo walked by, still radiating tension and slid into his bedroll. Not liking the overwhelming silence, Shin poured another cup of tea. Getting up, he brought it over to the red-clad disciple.

"Some tea will help calm you down," he offered. "It will also help you sleep."

Ryo sat up. He accepted the tea and drank it quietly, the anger seeming to drain out of him.

"That was very good tea," he stated. "I'm very tired. Thank you, Shin." He gave the Peace-born monk the empty cup and slid back down into his bedroll. Shin took the cup and put it with the rest of the dishes he would have to wash the following morning. He, too, was drained and wished to sleep. However, even when in his bedroll, rest eluded him. Thoughts of Sthissians and the priesthood that ruled over them dominated his thoughts too much. He listened as Shuu and Touma returned, empty-handed, and went to bed. Not long afterward, Seiji retired as well. However, Shin doubted that any of them really got any sleep that night.

* * *

Shuu didn't bother asking Touma why they were even bothering to go out hunting in the middle of farmland. He understood that they needed to get away from the nigh-on explosive tension that had settled around the five of them. So they went off walking, Touma with his bow handy and Shuu with his staff and hunting knife.

Shuu pondered what Ryo had said in his outburst earlier. He hadn't wanted to know what their opponents looked like because of wanting justice or revenge over what had happened thus far. It was the simple fact that they were wrong. They made a choice and it was wrong. So they needed to face the consequences. Shuten had already learned the consequences of betraying the O-sama of Hashiba. However, the deceiver who worked with the Kitsune didn't know the consequences of his actions. The illusionist could hide anywhere and never face the results of his dishonest actions unless he chose to.

That, ultimately, was why Shuu saw their opponents as opponents. It wasn't about looking for justice, it was for understanding. The misguided people who worked for Arago had to understand that there were consequences for every action, be it negative or positive. Arago's point of view was about doing everything for one's self. Shuu disagreed with that strongly. The weak couldn't do things for themselves, so they needed to be protected from the selfish people who would hurt the weak to make themselves happy.

"Shuu, be quiet," Touma muttered.

Shuu blinked, looking to the misplaced prince. "Huh?"

"You feel very strongly about being fair," Touma replied. "I understand that, but I can't think with you shouting that in my head."

The mercenary chuckled, twirling his staff in an embarrassed manner. "Sorry," he apologized. "I'm still trying to get the hang of this mind-link thing."

"It's very simple actually," Touma answered quietly. "If you feel strongly about something, you project it. That's how you talk. If you want to listen, you feel strongly about one of the others. It's like reaching out to who you want to listen to."

_So I talk to you like this?_ Shuu tried to emulate the strong feelings he had before.

_Yup, but not quite so strong,_ Touma responded. _You're shouting at me. Etiquette first._

"Now you sound like Seiji," Shuu muttered.

"Not really," the Tenkuu descendant replied. "The louder you talk, the harder it is for me to concentrate on my own head. I haven't gotten the hang of blocking yet."

The conversation trailed off into silence.

Shuu and Touma walked farther into the farmland. Shuu didn't really feel like continuing to rehash everything about the argument. He disagreed with Ryo. If he learned otherwise, fine. But for now, he disagreed and there was no point in holding onto any anger he may feel for Ryo being wrong. Holding onto anger only caused more harm than good. All they had to do was agree to disagree. They could get around this one disagreement for now. If it needed to be addressed later on, so be it.

They continued to walk in silence, before Touma finally stopped.

Shuu turned, raising an eyebrow. He said nothing, since he didn't really think it a good idea at the moment. Rather than breaking the silence, he decided to see if he could graze the prince's thoughts to see if the argument was bugging him as much as it was Shuu.

He wasn't prepared for what he got.

_Doesn't that Kitsune understand that I_ don't _want the throne because of things like that! If the king has the power to wipe out a family and take away the lives that_ make _the country, then I don't want to be a part of it! Life is too precious to just destroy because someone disagrees with you. Did my family try to kill his? Yes, but I am not the same as my family!_

"Whoa! Calm down!" Shuu put a tender hand on Touma's shoulder. The Tenkuu glared at him before turning away.

"Hey," the mercenary softly called. "Do you really hate your family that much?"

Touma sat down on the path, finding the dirt very interesting to look at.

"Touma?"

"I don't hate my family."

"Coulda fooled me."

Touma shot a look to the mercenary, but Shuu just shrugged it off. Instead, he set down his staff and sat beside the prince who was so far from home. "So," he continued. "Why do you run away from your family if you don't hate them?"

The blue-haired young man let out a long sigh. "My family . . . is hard to describe."

"Your uncle wasn't all that bad."

"Do you have any idea what he was talking about all the time?"

"Yeah. He didn't try anything though."

"Doesn't that bother you? That he feels that way?"

Shuu chuckled. "Na. Back in Luga, during long winters, girls would get fed up of giving it to guys all the time. So usually, right before spring, some guys were so desperate to get some, they'd go to other guys. I've been asked lots of times before since I'm so well known. They never get anywhere, so there's no harm."

"But my uncle feels that way all year round. That's why he's never married." The prince chuckled as well. "Much to the consternation of his advisors. It's his choice, and I'm okay with that. But other people often don't understand. But he continues to make jokes about it in public. Especially if I'm around. I've always asked him to stop, but he never seems to listen. I honestly don't see how any woman would be able to put up with him."

"I'd imagine."

"It's not just my uncle," Touma continued. "My mother is quite the socialite. After all, she's the sister of the king. But she always had to leave because of that. She was always traveling to different parts of Hashiba and then reporting back to her brother any ills the people might feel."

"And your dad?"

"My father is a professor at the university. He was never around all that much."

"So you were usually left with your . . . unique . . . uncle," Shuu summed up.

Touma looked up to the stars. "It wasn't as bad as I tend to make it out. I didn't know just how different he was until I was old enough to understand a few facts. He was sort of like the father I couldn't have." He looked back down to the ground again. "Growing up, I knew that I didn't want to be king, even though I'm the first in line. My uncle humored me for a while. But once I was old enough to understand a few things, he started to push me to the throne. I don't like to be pushed, but I would never hurt my family. So I ran. I didn't see any other option."

"Do you think that was best?"

There was a long pause. "Not any more. Since I've been traveling with you guys, I've grown up a bit. By running, all I did was make my family worry."

Shuu stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants.

"Shall we head back to camp?"

"Sure."

* * *

Shuten kept a running stream of observations to his other teammates. He wondered absently when he started considering them teammates, but didn't have the time to deal with such a question. Things had certainly been interesting since that morning. The mighty unknown, the slayer of armies, Sanada Ryo could get mad enough to fight his allies. Good show. He wondered what in the gods' names they had done to get him that mad. All he knew was that there was a sudden spike of fiery energy, followed by a steady crackle and some interesting color changes to the other four.

Now the group dynamics reverberated as the other four tried to amend, ignore, or fix the situation that had befallen them. Ryo refused to even talk to the others, too mad to say anything civil. Seiji, the light long ear, isolated himself. It was an elfin thing, apparently. Anubisu was almost perpetually isolated, the anger was so much. Seiji was merely subtler in his isolation. He did not go off on his own or glare at anyone who tried to talk to him. He was instead merely distant, his mind far away on whatever he was thinking. Shuu did not seem to care. He was certainly upset at what happened, his leaving the camp was proof of that, but he seemed to just accept things as out of his reach and moved onto whatever was next. Shin by contrast tried to minimize the damage. He talked to all four, trying to bring about an apology from somebody or at least enough of an understanding to put the argument aside. Touma didn't even acknowledge the argument. He just used it as an excuse to whine about his own petty problems. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He was complaining to avoid the issue of the argument.

Everyone's energy patterns were disturbed, to say the least.

Shuten debated on what to do as he set up his own camp.

There was always the option of just absorbing all their energy. They were so distracted by whatever the heck they had fought about that it would be easy. He had thought about the option very seriously when at Kaosu's Keep; but he wanted to keep his life while he still had it, thank you.

He also had to be very careful if he were to do that. The unknown, Ryo, obviously could sense such actions. No doubt now that they all had maho, they could all sense it as well. Shuten didn't want to risk being spotted, even if only in suspicions.

Another option was to rearrange the energy to try and make it work to his advantage. It was a much subtler art, more difficult to detect. It also took a lot more concentration power.

Shuten puzzled over that as he pulled out some rice to boil. He was running low on food. He would have to stop off at the next farm he came across.

With all the various dynamics and levels of different types of energy that the five were exerting, he could do a number of things. The question was what. The first and obvious choice was to make sure that Ryo stayed angry. Shuten found himself hesitant to do anything with the shape shifter, though. The unknown was just that, unknown.

None of the others were really angry, and one could not produce an energy that was not there. They were all rather turned inward, actually. That left little for Shuten to turn to his advantage. In fact, as Shuten sent out his perceptions more methodically, none of them felt anything more negative than annoyance. Even Ryo, crackling with anger as he was, understood that whatever they had done was out of. . . ignorance from what Shuten could tell.

Curse it. There was nothing to use! So many games but no money to play with.

Hmphing, Shuten checked his rice. It had boiled nicely while he had spent his time observing the Troopers. Eating it gratefully, he called up a firmer link with Rajura, wondering if he had any ideas.

_You mean you can't even come up with an idea on your own?_ he asked.

_Forgive his lowly and unintelligent Hashiba University Honors Graduate that cannot see an answer through his narrow and dimwitted perspective. I need another set of eyes for this._

_Don't you mean "eye"?_ Rajura commented bitterly.

_Oh, get off yourself. It's been years, now. Hasn't it? You already killed the mercenary who took your eye, get over it and move on._

_Easy for you to say._

Shuten scoffed. _I did it, didn't I? I've moved on enough to do something about it. Now, do you have any ideas?_

There was a long pause and Rajura mulled over the possibilities. _You're obviously too scared to do anything overt._

_You would be too._

_Whatever. Can you at least keep the tension up? Make little things happen to keep everybody frustrated? If they're distracted by your precious "dynamics" to worry about what kind of ship to buy, it makes my job easier._

Shuten rolled his eyes. _Anything to make you look better._

_Hey, you offered,_ Rajura reminded him.

_You even make this my fault,_ Shuten quipped. Finally, he added, _I make no guarantees. I'll see what can and can't be done without being spotted._

There came what sounded like a laugh from Rajura. _What whole hearted promises. So reassuring and gratifying._

Shuten said nothing and cut the link.

"Ko Rai Sei," he murmured.

This would take a while.

* * *

Shin had not slept well the previous night, since there was still a heavy amount of tension going around. He was irritated with it all. He still had to clean the dishes. That was his own fault for leaving that for now. Thankfully it was still early. He had time before everyone else woke up.

Not really wishing to go to the stream and draw water, he muttered, "Chou Ryu Ha." With the water he called forth, he focused on cleaning the dishes and filling the teapot for some more tea. Chances were they'd need it for their journey today. Shin didn't think that anyone got much sleep last night.

"What are you doing?"

Shin was so focused on the water and the cleaning and cooking, that he was surprised by the voice. Acting out of reflex from training and his lack of sleep, he lashed out, sending small lines of water outward toward the source that had startled him.

"Shin!"

Finally turning to the voice, the monk-sir's eyes widened in surprise. It was Seiji who had startled him. The water would injure him if he didn't do something, so in a last ditch effort to stop it, Shin focused on jerking the water away from the Korin elf. It went straight for the horses. Unfortunately it was too late. It hit the pack horses.

The horses screamed, waking the remaining members of the camp. Touma got up, a knife in his hand, going back to back with Shuu, who was already spinning his staff. Ryo was up with Retsu in one hand and a sword of fire in the other.

"What happened?" Shuu shouted, looking at the spooked horses.

Ryo, however, seemed to grasp the situation quickly, and hurried with Seiji over to the horses. They had difficulty calming down, so Ryo shifted form to a horse and tried to calm them as leader of a herd. Once the horses stopped bucking around, Seiji inspected the wounds.

"I. . ." Shin couldn't believe what had just happened. "I'm sorry. . ." He just stared at the chaos he had caused. That was something a follower of Arago would do, not a follower of Kaosu. Would he fall into some sort of trap of the dark god of destruction?

Once the horses were sufficiently calmed, Ryo shifted back.

"What happened?" he demanded, the anger of yesterday coming back.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. . ." Shin muttered, still staring at the horses. He couldn't believe what had happened.

"Shin?" Shuu put a hand on the priest's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I just. . .I just. . ." This couldn't be. He was a Kaosan priest. He couldn't do something that was what Arago wanted, could he? How could this have happened?

"Shin? Talk to me." Shuu kneeled down. "What happened?"

"I woke up early," the scared priest muttered. "Thinking, cleaning, startled. Seiji startled me. . .I threw maho. . .I couldn't hit Seiji, so I jerked. . ."

"And hit the horses," Touma summed up.

"It's okay," Shuu assured Shin. "Things happen. It's okay."

"I could have killed him."

"Calm down, Shin."

Ryo and Seiji came over, sitting down. The disciple of fire let out a long breath. "Okay, there are a few things that should be addressed. First off, you all have the benefit of maho, but that doesn't mean you can just go around using it any time it's useful. Maho takes concentration, and until you've been using it for a century or so, situations like this can happen. I didn't use my maho to start campfires for almost three centuries in order to be certain that I had the proper control over it."

"In other words," Touma stated, "we don't just control our maho. We merely guide it. If we are startled, our maho will try to protect us. Like Shin's just did."

Shuu chuckled ironically. "So much for me looking for caverns in Luga."

"Or me flying," Touma agreed.

"And, evidently," Seiji added, "me healing."

"Eh?"

Seiji continued to make the tea that Shin had started what seemed like an eternity ago. "Healing is a natural process. If I were to heal every wound that ever happened, the wounds would fall apart when I died."

"You can push healing in the right direction, Seiji," Ryo replied, "just don't heal it all the way. Leave nature some work to do. We can still move with lame horses."

"I think a small brush of light each morning will probably be sufficient."

"Seiji. . ." Shin started, his voice very small. "I'm very sorry." He lowered his head. "I am so very sorry."

"It was my own fault," Seiji stated, his voice soft. "As an elf, I know that interrupting deep thoughts is a breech. But I didn't understand why you were using your maho. So I took a chance. I understand the consequences now."

"I am so sorry."

Shuu's staff landed rather hard on Shin's head. "Shin, you didn't know that this would happen. Neither did Seiji. We didn't know that maho requires so much concentration to keep it under control. You won't do anything like this again, so everything is fine."

"But Shuu,"

"Shin, what could you have done differently if you didn't know this would happen?"

Shin looked down again, rubbing his rather sore head. He hated to admit that his Lugan friend hat a point. He couldn't have known. But the consequences of such an act were all too real. If he hadn't jerked the water at the last minute, Seiji would be the one in need of aide and not the horses. Shin felt another hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see the blond elf.

"Everything is fine Shin." He handed over a cup of tea. "Nothing permanent happened."

"I'm still sorry," he muttered.

Ryo let out a long sigh. "I think we should stay here today. Give the horses a chance to rest. There's a farmhouse near here. I'll head out and get some supplies from them."

Shin nodded. The disciple laid a reassuring hand on the priest's head as he walked by.

* * *

Seiji slowly came out of meditation and looked over to the road that Ryo had gone down that morning. The sun was already starting to sink in the horizon, and the fiery disciple had yet to return from getting supplies. It had proved to be a rather somber day. Ryo's aura was still sparking with anger, though more muted than before, and Shin had been concerned about both the horses, and the blond elf he almost attacked.

Touma and Shuu had been talking to Shin all day, soothing the scare he had caused himself. Seiji had retreated to meditation, in a futile attempt to calm his frazzled nerves. Since the argument with Ryo the previous day, Seiji had been on edge, waiting for something else to happen. It felt as though Ryo's anger, though dissipated, could still explode at the smallest thing and regain its strength in mere seconds. This morning when Shin had lashed out in surprise, the red-clad priest's anger flared, but he had kept it under control. However, if Ryo's anger could be sparked so quickly, Seiji wasn't sure if they were in a better place simply because the disciple had distanced himself to cool down.

Seiji let out along sigh. He needed to do something. Meditating didn't do any good, so maybe activity would help. Unfortunately, Seiji noticed as he stole a glance at Shin, sparring would probably be out of the question. In fact, he doubted there would be sparring for a few days. That was probably for the best.

Getting up, Seiji looked around their campsite. There wasn't much he could really do. The others had been taking care of everything during the day, but Seiji didn't want to leave his friends. It didn't feel right to leave them for a walk, even though there was no real legitimate reason for the feeling.

He reached out with his mind, feeling along the link he now shared with the others. Shin was much better than he was that morning. The gentle monk-sir no longer felt guilty, though he still felt poorly about what had happened. Seiji sent a small nudge of understanding, subtly improving Shin's mood a little more. Within a few hours, he would probably be back to normal, though still on the somber side.

Shuu's mind was worried about Shin, but more concerned about what Ryo had been so angry about. The Lugan didn't understand why the disciple was so livid over simply calling something what it was. Seiji wasn't so sure. Ryo had made a point of saying how difficult the lives were of the people they were facing. But as a Korin, he could not see how a hard life could lead away from honor. On some levels, he admitted that Yami had an honor system similar to his own. However, by following honor, one followed Kaosu. So how could an honorable Yami (if there was such a thing) be a follower of Arago?

Touma's thoughts were more focused. He kept his mind on helping Shin and keeping things distracting from the heavy tension that had settled around them since the argument. Seiji admired the single-mindedness that the misplaced prince had when he tried to solve a problem. However, it also served to distract the Tenkuu descendant from his own issues back home and being heir to the throne. Seiji wished he could distract himself from his dishonoring as Touma did.

He offered one more warm pulse of friendship across the link before turning to the horses. While he wouldn't brush their injuries with light, they had been neglected during the day. They had been fed and watered, but after the fright during the morning, they needed something to help ease their nerves. Normally it was Ryo who handled the animals. Being a Rekka gave him a natural ability to work with any creature. However, Seiji, as an elf, made him more in tune with nature than a human.

The horses were clearly nervous, but as Seiji started to brush his white and gold pinto, the fast animals seemed to relax. Once his horse was done, the Korin moved on to Touma's white stallion. The large steed glared at him for a moment before letting Seiji offer his gentle touch. Shuu's charger acted similarly.

Seiji took a deep breath. He was getting tired brushing all these horses.

Thankfully, Shin's mare was very placid and didn't mind the touch of someone other than his owner. With the mare's help, all the horses seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Seiji approached the pack horses carefully. They were the ones who had been injured that morning, and though better than before, they still regarded him warily.

"Oh come now," Seiji muttered. "You've traveled with us before this morning. You know we won't try to harm you."

The pack horses regarded each other as Seiji started to brush down one of them.

"Seiji."

He whirled around and saw Ryo standing behind him. Seiji hadn't even felt him coming.

"Welcome back," he replied politely.

"You're brushing too rough."

"What?"

Ryo took the brush from Seiji's hand and went over to the same pack horse that had just been brushed down. The horse accepted the Rekka more easily than a Korin, but that wasn't a surprise. Seiji observed that Ryo brushed more lightly than he did and even more lightly when around the wounds from the streams of water from that morning. He finished brushing the horses and tossed the brush back to him.

"The horses are my responsibility," he stated.

Seiji watched as Ryo's anger spiked briefly before he turned back to the others. Shin was already cooking dinner while Touma and Shuu went through the supplies that Ryo had brought with him.

The Korin wondered how long Ryo would be so delicate to handle.

* * *

Anubisu panted next to Naaza, hating the heat of Sthiss with a cold passion. He had insisted on joining the Doko today to see how the snake was trying to ruin the volatile political atmosphere of the jungle country. But he was rather disappointed that all Naaza had to do was simply talk loud enough to spread rumors. The snake had assured Anubisu that his well-placed rumors would reach the high Kamek, and prepare the religious fool to do the work for them and exterminate the Troopers. The Yami had doubts about how this would all come together. Somehow, just spreading rumors and a few well-placed murders didn't seem enough to destabilize a government, let alone force the government to take care of the Kaosu-blessed Troopers.

The two conspirators turned down another well-shaded alley and Anubisu cursed the heat once more. He could feel mini rivers of sweat rolling down the back of his neck and the back of his knees. His dark skin seemed to attract the heat to weigh him down while Naaza complained how the summer had been off to an unusually cool start. Cursed snake.

Still, Anubisu could not show any signs of weakness. Weakness was not what a dishonored elf needed. Weakness let enemies prey upon him. Weakness meant he couldn't do anything alone. He didn't want anyone to see him weak.

But being alone wasn't doing him much good right now. The burning heat didn't particularly care if he was strong or weak. Maybe this was the fire disciple's way of making him pay for following Arago-sama.

Argh. The cursed heat was making him think too much.

Still, he kept pace with Naaza who was quickly maneuvering the shaded yet boiling alleys and crevices, intent to make it to a different part of Sthiss, a more upper-class human section, in order to spread the rumors again. Evidently if the rumor was spread in a variety of places, the high Kamek might take them seriously. Anubisu usually didn't go for such subtly. He was just too direct. If you had an enemy, you killed him.

Naaza paused, looking down another alley. Anubisu peered around as well. There were humans with their Sthissian slaves ahead. They'd have to wait until the path was clear.

Anubisu took the opportunity to sit down against a wall and took a long, silent, deep breath. He was sure that his skin was melting. His perspiration was rolling down his cheek, neck, and arms, moistening the already damp paving stones beneath him. The air was thick, forcing him to take in his breaths in gulps. The physical exertion of walking at a brisk pace to keep up with his Doko friend was catching up with him. His muscles burned and he could feel his cheeks radiating even more heat. It seemed like there was no way for him to cool down. He was thirsty, and his mouth felt like he had been drinking sand.

"Anubisu!"

The voice was familiar, but it sounded very far away. So far away. All Anubisu could hear clearly was the searing heat in his ears.

"Anubisu!"

The faraway voice sounded urgent. But Anubisu didn't know whose voice it was. He felt certain he knew the voice. It was the voice of a friend. Wait, he didn't have friends. They only showed weakness.

"Curse it!!"

Anubisu felt himself being lifted up. He was on someone's back. Since when could he not walk on his own two feet? He tried to state such, but his throat was dry and raw, though he knew he hadn't been speaking at all. He struggled against the back he was slung on, but he didn't have the strength to get anything done.

"Stop squirming!" the voice hissed. "It'll only make you worse!"

Anubisu wanted to strangle the voice for taking that tone with him. He was a border elf. He could take care of himself.

No he wasn't a boarder elf any more. He had been dishonored. Curse it; it was getting hard to think straight.

"Doko! What are you doing?" shouted a rather high-pitched young male voice

"Illegitimate sir," the voice cursed quietly. In answer to the question, he replied, "Out of my way! This elf's suffering dehydration and heat stroke. I need to get him back to water now!"

"How do I know you didn't poison him?" the monk-sir asked. Anubisu could almost hear a sneer on the all-to-high voice.

"I don't have time for this!" the voice that carried him shouted. "Let me pass!"

The inexperienced young illegitimate laughed outright. "Like I'll trust a Doko?"

"If you were old enough, you'd see that his symptoms need attention now!"

"You'll have to go through me."

Anubisu cursed. Arrogant piece of scrap. He had to do something. He reached out. There had to be something he could do. He wasn't stupid enough to refuse help, and the voice that carried him certainly wanted to help. He could see nothing but darkness. He'd been looking into blackness since his head started to get fuzzy. The dark was cool and reassuring. That's right. He had maho.

"Koku Rou Ken Ankoku Cho Uhigiri." Well what do you know? His voice could work. He was rather satisfied to hear the young upstart sound surprised. But he was really feeling the heat. It felt like he was on fire.

"Curse it!!" The Doko shouted. The snake that was carrying him took off running. Anubisu's already fuzzy perceptions faded as he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Naaza watched over Anubisu in their shabby excuse of a room. Feeling through the black hole that the Yami had created had allowed him to escape past the arrogant little illegitimate, but had cost him precious time. Once away from the obstruction called a monk-sir, Naaza had run all the way back to their room and got a bucket of water. Though it wasn't exactly cold water by any stretch of the imagination, it would have to do.

Naaza dumped almost a canteen of water down Anubisu's throat and put as many cool compresses down as he could. There wasn't much more he could do. As a Doko, he never had to worry about illness. He was half Sthissian, so he didn't feel the heat and was immune to almost all poisons. However, that didn't help Anubisu at all. He should have known that the Yami wasn't any more prepared for Sthiss's heat than he was prepared for the cold of Hashiba.

To make matters worse, the scarred elf had been making attempts to show that there just might be some level of trust between them. Naaza felt like a sword hilt. He knew that for the Yami to try in any way to show trust was very difficult. Asking for help was also an impossibility. None of them ever asked for assistance in any way. It was like a silent rule. But Anubisu knew that Naaza needed help to get past that monk. So he tried. That told Naaza even more than anything the dark border elf could. That the trust Anubisu was trying to enact actually _was_ there.

Naaza re-soaked the compresses to help try to lower Anubisu's abnormal temperature. Though Anubisu would get over the heat stroke, just like anyone else, Naaza didn't have the patience. He'd need the Yami to help spread rumors through the more upper-human sections of Sthiss. Naaza had been avoiding that part since he particularly hated the human areas. Especially the upper class. But if Shuten's information was correct, the Troopers would be getting to Sthiss in no time, and he needed time to make sure his carefully placed rumors reached their height just before those cursed Kaosans got to the jungle city.

He needed help.

No, he really needed a friend.

And his best chance at a friend was suffering.

"Curse it!" he shouted to himself. "I'm a Doko! A poison! I can't heal!" He raked a bare hand through his hair, yanking at it so that some measure of pain might aide his current situation. He knew that Anubisu would be fine, but he couldn't stand just sitting around and doing nothing. After all of the Yami's efforts, Naaza should try to do something in return! But he couldn't think of a cursed thing! Not even his maho could help him!

Naaza jerked upright. His maho! His maho, in its most basic level, altered the base of a material to create another, normally a poison. It wasn't an element; it was the ability to alter what was around him into something else. However, making poisons was what came naturally to him. If he could make something else, would it be harder? Would his maho resist making something other than death? It was worth a try. If he could alter parts of Anubisu's body into water, then the Yami would recover more quickly without having to find water that wasn't tainted by something or someone from the jungle. But what part of the body could he alter? Certainly not muscles or organs. Those were essential.

The Doko turned his eyes to the Yami, and focused on seeing through his maho. If his maho had an instinct for the natural structure of things, maybe he could focus his vision onto something that Anubisu's body wouldn't miss. He didn't normally look at things in this manner. It usually required a great deal of concentration, and Naaza wasn't exactly patient enough for that level of focus needed. As he'd hoped, Naaza saw Anubisu's body in a different light. He could see the healthy green of the Yami's well-toned muscles, and the darker emerald of his organs. The greens seemed duller than they should be, however, and there was an unhealthy looking brownish yellow that seemed to gather just under the border elf's skin. Naaza's small understanding of biology filled in the gaps. Bodies needed a layer of fat under the skin as an insulator. While it wasn't an essential part of the body, it did vary greatly depending on the climate the body inhabited. Since Anubisu was from the cold north, he had a thicker layer of fat under his skin than Naaza did, since the Doko had grown up in the jungle's heat.

As for the ugly brownish yellow color, that was because Anubisu's body understood that it was too much insulation for the climate, but hadn't broken it down yet. Well, Naaza could help in that department. He could alter the base makeup of the fat and turn it into water. Directing his focus, Naaza grunted at the effort such a task required. Evidently making something that wasn't a poison was harder than he thought. He also had to be careful that he didn't take away too much of the fat, because the layer was useful in the body. He tried to help the fat turn from an ugly and unhealthy color to a more stable and pretty greenish color.

When he finally finished, Naaza was sweating hard. Either he had just forced his maho to go totally against what it was supposed to do, or he was going to need a lot of practice if he ever needed to heal again.

"Hmph. Who'd have thought I could heal," he muttered, slumping back into his chair. From what he'd seen, Anubisu would probably wake up in an hour or so. Naaza decided that would be a good amount of time for a nap.

* * *

Touma lay awake in his bedroll, looking up to the stars. The past several days had proved to be full of tension, since Ryo's anger still seemed to radiate off of him. Granted, it had dissipated considerably from its initial outburst, but it was still there, as hot and explosive as a cooking fire just waiting to spread into a house fire. Seiji and Shin had already set off smaller fires in some way shape or form that prevented Ryo's anger from fully disappearing. Evidently the disciple could be quite volatile. It was amazing that his temper hadn't shown itself before.

Touma thought back. That wasn't entirely true. Ryo had been angry before. But his anger always dissipated quickly. The first time they'd ever seen him get angry was when Watanabe had insisted that they separate when they arrived at Tou Hashiba. However, his fury had vanished quickly, most likely because Ryo had figured out that the illusionist had been to blame for the entire trip home. The other time they'd seen him angry was in Daasa Laska. Still the anger disappeared quickly; this time because Ryo saw that they were only dealing with Yayoi, Seiji's older sister. Beyond that, none of them had seen Ryo really angry. Really angry. However, by simply asking a perfectly normal question, they had set the flame that still burned quietly.

It didn't make sense.

No, that wasn't entirely true. Ryo stated, very clearly, that the enemies they were fighting were not enemies and that only Arago was the enemy. Touma understood what Ryo was saying. That Shuten and his associates were merely misguided. He should take pity on them and strive to turn them to the path of Kaosu. That sounded too much like something Shin would say. Unfortunately, Touma wasn't so sure he could take pity on them for being misguided. If it was due to unfortunate events in their lives, then couldn't they still live honest lives without plotting to ruin other's lives? The four of them had also had difficult lives in one way or another. Seiji was next in line for high elder which made his life have more problems than the normal elf. Shuu was a mercenary and risked his life every day. Shin's mother was constantly sick and he had to care for her. Touma himself had issues with his uncle and being prince.

They still lead decent lives.

So why didn't their misguided opponents?

From what Touma had learned about Shuten, he watched his family die in front of his eyes and was the only surviving member. That didn't leave much love for the throne. Touma understood that. He didn't have much love for the throne either, though for different reasons. Shuten could have easily left Hashiba and never look back. It probably would have been better for him. But instead, he chose to go for revenge. That was what Touma had trouble understanding. As a Hashiban, Shuten would have understood that revenge is an endless circle that only brings about more and more pain. It was one of the first lessons pounded in to someone in school. The need for revenge was understandable, but Shuten should have known better, curse it!

Touma let out an exasperated sigh and sat up in his bedroll. Shuu looked over from where he was keeping watch. Not that anything would happen in this farmland.

"Still awake?"

"Yeah."

Shuu tossed him a slice of bread. "You've got next watch, so you'd better get some sleep eventually. Preferably now instead of during your watch." Shuu ate his own slice of bread with a slice of cheese. "What's keeping you up anyway? I don't think you've fallen asleep yet."

Touma let out a soft chuckle. "Our enemies-who-are-not-our-enemies. What else?"

Shuu shook his head. "You think too much. But I can get your point." The large Lugan added another branch to the fire, letting its flames strengthen. "Look, if you're not going to sleep, then take the watch. I'll get some sleep." Shuu turned and flashed Touma a bright smile. "But I'm not replacing you for next watch. Wake Shin like you're supposed to."

Touma chuckled again in reply. "You get complacent just because you have the chance to get some more sleep."

Shuu continued to smile brightly. "Shouldn't I?"

Touma tossed his pillow at the offensive, if playful, smile. "Okay, okay! Go to bed and leave me alone!"

"Yes, your highness," Shuu tossed back, quietly slipping into his own bedroll. Touma glared at the unarmored Lugan. It didn't take long for Shuu's snoring to fill the campsite, though it wasn't as loud as they teased him about.

Stoking the fire, Touma's thoughts drifted unable to focus on one thing. Shuu had a point. He thought about things too much. That was why he was on watch now, even though it was probably two hours earlier than he would normally take watch. What he needed was sleep, but his Tenkuu heritage allowed him to go with less sleep than most people required. Instead, his time awake was spent thinking about their enemies - there was no better word for them - or Ryo's recent burst of temper.

Neither of which was doing him any good.

"Shin Ku Ha," he whispered. Slowly, he floated upward, letting the campfire grow small beneath him. He leaned back and looked to the stars, still so very far away. Touma wondered if Sora-Ao, the first queen of Hashiba, and pure Tenkuu had done this. Just enjoy the ability to fly since it was so free. Flying was like a release. Being in the air and winds. It was like being home. Not home like Hashiba. Hashiba, no matter his complaints, would always be home. But flying the winds was like letting a part of himself that he never was aware of be home. This was just as much his home as Hashiba was, but in a different way.

Touma let the wind engulf him and flow around him. He had always loved windy days. Perhaps it was part of destiny, if there was such a thing. Nothing beat the feeling of the wind whipping the hair around your face, or the flapping of your clothes against the skin. The wind could blow away all your problems, or at least put them into a better perspective. The wind was invigorating. Shin probably felt the same way about water.

Remembering Shin's accident with the horses, Touma released his winds and gently returned to the ground, feeling much better. He knew that using maho needlessly like that was pointless until he had better control, but he doubted that anyone would distract him if they were all asleep.

Unfortunately, they didn't get much sleep.

With a load screech, Touma's hawk flew down into the camp site, making a large fuss over something. Touma couldn't tell what; since she was talking so fast he couldn't catch all of her words. She also couldn't keep still and was ruffling her feathers loudly.

Needless to say, the others were awake in no time.

"Touma, please tell that hawk to be quiet!" Seiji grumbled, his hair in disarray from his rather sudden awakening. Shin fared no better, trying to rub his eyes and see what was going on at the same time. Shuu yawned, running a hand through his hair.

"What's the noise about?" he asked sleepily.

"I'm trying to find out," Touma muttered. "Girl, calm down. You know I can't follow you when you're going so fast!"

Feathers still puffed in anger, the hawk slowed her rapid-fire screeching and movements. Touma's eyes widened in shock.

"Shuten's been following us?!" he demanded. The hawk yelled her assent.

Everyone dove for their weapons and looked around the farmland wearily, as if the Kitsune would walk into their campsite at any minute.

Ryo, however, was not pleased.

"I already know that!" he told the hawk. Touma and the others stared at him. "He's been following us since he found our trail across the Bread River. At least it wasn't all four of them like back in the Korin forest. I thought you knew that all along!"

The hawk bowed her head sheepishly. An apology.

Ryo let out along sigh. It seemed his anger had been sparked again, but he had control over it this time.

"Look," he said to the hawk. "Shuten isn't going to do anything to us now because he'd have to deal with all five of us. All he can do is keep track of us and report things to the others. That's not going to do him much good since the most important things that these four are learning, he can't observe. I know that this angers you, but next time you want to wake us in the middle of the night, try waking just me."

The hawk bowed her head again.

"You're forgiven." Ryo turned to the rest of them. "Now go back to bed. I'll take this watch."

The four looked at each other, silently acknowledging the situation. Not really wanting to direct Ryo's pushed down anger at any of them, they silently agreed that sleep would probably be a good option right now.

Not that any of them could really sleep right now.

* * *

Shuu twirled his staff in one of his exercises. He trusted that his horse would follow the others without much difficulty as he swung his weapon in graceful arcs. Since the little bombshell the other night about Shuten following them, Shuu had decided it would be a good idea to keep his skills on the sharper side. It kinda bugged him that Ryo had known they were being followed all along and hadn't told any of them, but he could understand it. Ryo, as always, was trying to save them from needless worry. There was also the little disagreement they had all had when Ryo tackled them. He could understand why he'd kept Shuten's presence to himself. That didn't mean that Shuu liked it. At least neither the hawk nor Ryo said anything about the illusionist or the other two. It was just Shuten.

Still, Shuu was kicking himself. He was a trained mercenary. He would have thought that he'd be able to sense someone following them. Especially since he kept his ear to the ground constantly. Or rather, his maho did. He wondered if the others felt that way as well.

Reining back to Seiji, Shuu asked, "Did you notice we were being followed at all?

Seiji's ears twitched for a moment. "No. That's very odd for an elf."

"I thought so," Shuu muttered. "But how is that possible? I've been feeling the ground since we left Kaosu's Keep. I usually hear the echoes of feet coming our way. I would have heard a horse following us."

Seiji nodded. "I would have felt their chi."

Ahead of them, Touma turned in his saddle, joining the conversation. "I think it must be Shuten's maho. It can either conceal his presence, or it can block our senses."

"So his maho is energy based?" Shuu asked.

"I can't say for sure," Touma replied. "It's the best theory I can determine given our information. We know that one of our," Touma paused, groping for a word, "you know who I mean. We know that one of them has illusion based maho. Shuten appears to have energy maho. I don't even want to guess what the other two have."

"Great," Shuu muttered. "They know what all our maho is and we're left in the dark about them."

"Darkness and poison," Ryo replied from behind them. "I think it's clear who has what."

Seiji stiffened. "The Yami has darkness."

"So the Sthissian would have poison," Touma added.

The five of them lapsed into silence again.

Shuu smiled despite himself. Ryo had actually volunteered information about their opponents. Maybe his anger was finally dissipating. He rode up beside Shin, still wearing his goofy smile. Looking over, he found that Shin didn't look very thrilled.

"What's wrong, Shin? You've been rather quiet."

His peaceful friend started, looking over to Shuu. "It's nothing," he replied. "I'm just imitating Touma and thinking too much."

"Oh?"

"We'll be in Peace either tomorrow or the day after. I haven't seen my mother or sister in almost two years. They don't know I'm coming. I also heard that my sister got married last year to Ryuusuke."

"She must be happy."

"I'm sure she is. I'm trying to figure out how to explain my unannounced arrival with four complete strangers." Shin sighed. "There's also the fact that they've probably gotten word that I've disappeared from my station in the Outlet."

"Ouch," Shuu sympathized. "You're in for an interrogation."

Shin nodded.

"I don't suppose saying that you're fighting to save the world will cut it?"

The monk-sir chuckled.

"How about you're fighting the forces of the demon world with a mystical armor?"

The chuckle grew louder and included those behind them.

"Oh! I know! You could tell your family that you've been studying under Kaosu and are in training to become a disciple!"

The chuckles degenerated into outright laughter, Ryo included.

"How about how the enemies of Kaosu, that have deceived both Hashiba and Daasa Laska, are on their way to stop you from interfering with them?"

Shuu immediately regretted saying that.

Everyone went quiet.

Ryo walked up beside the Lugan's horse.

"Shuu?" he asked quietly. "I believe I've already talked about that assumption."

Looking down to Ryo, Shuu stared into the tiger-blue eyes. "Then what are we supposed to call them?" he asked. "They think we're the enemy, but they aren't to us. So what are they?"

Ryo's temper seemed to drain from his eyes. "They are the Masho."

"Masho?" Touma asked. "I haven't heard of that word before."

"It's a word from my time. The meaning doesn't really translate anymore. Think of them as the Masho."

Shuu nodded, satisfied. He reigned back to the pack horses and pulled out his drums. "Who wants some music?"


	16. Peace 15

The city of Peace was the largest city in the known world. Set in the partly natural, partly manmade inlet called Peace Bay. The earth was soft sand, poor for any form of foundation. There were also spring flood considerations. To compensate for this, the city was a raised city. Fat, sturdy poles were long ago imported from the forested lands of Hashiba and treated to handle water of any amount. Twenty feet of them were buried in the white sand, leaving three feet above the ground. The poles were secured in plaster-cement mixture. The buildings varied from rounded sea-stone to simple timber. Neither of these could be seen as they too were covered in plaster.

The city itself was massive. It was at least ten miles across, not including the beginnings of a continuation of the city on the other side of the river.

"This looks like a work in progress," Seiji said softly as the five entered the city.

"I don't think I've ever seen Peace completely built," Ryo said as he walked beside the horses. "It's constantly expanding and changing and being rebuilt. This city is steeped in history."

"It is," Shin agreed; an enigmatic smirk on his face as he reentered the city where he grew up, "from the origin of the Kaosan priests to the voice of reason during the Yang Shi Invasion to one of the pillars during the Fifty Year War. We bring trade from all points of the world and spread it. We're a key port and a center of travel."

"You're very proud of this city," Touma said.

Shin's smirk widened. "I am."

Shuu meanwhile was looking around. "I remember eating there. Very good fish and seaweed soup they made."

Seiji made a face.

Shin meanwhile was laughing. "You mean you believed my mother when she said that? It was crab and lettuce!"

Shuu blinked. "It was? But I thought things that tasted great were either filled with sugar or made of really gross stuff." Shuu paused as another building caught his eye. "Oh! Over there! They had great noodles. Those were noodles, right?"

Shin laughed. "You'll never know from me."

"Are we very close to your home?" Seiji asked.

"Yeah," Shuu said. "We're about a five minute ride from here."

"There," Shin said pointing down a smaller rode. "We turn right here. Then it's a straight ride."

True to his word, a small pottery shop appeared to everyone's right. Giggling with happiness, Shin tried to contain himself as he dismounted his palomino with adequate grace. Shuu had no such restraints. He jumped off of his charger and bounded up the steps, across the sidewalk, and threw open the door.

"Oh, Auntie Aaaaaaaiiiiiii!" he called. "I'm hooooooooooooome!"

"Shuu? Shuu is that you?" As the others entered a middle-aged woman appeared from a back room of the shop. Shin was a spitting image of his mother; large eyes, soft hair and tall, Ai Mouri was the picture of grace. Only her pale skin was any indication of her frail health. Her face lit with a smile as she finally recognized the Lugan mercenary. "Goodness, it is you! Look at you, a strapping young man now! A warrior no less!" With hurried small steps, she closed the distance between them and threw her thin arms around Shuu. "It's so good to see you!"

"Mom," Shin said lightly. "What about me?"

Ai looked over. "Shin! You're here too! How wonderful! Come here, come here," she beckoned her son over, and soon squashed him and Shuu in a bear hug incapable of someone with her thin and pale features.

Ryo smiled openly, Touma not far behind. Seiji watched with what appeared to be a certain level of envy, but he said nothing.

"Look at the two of you. My strong young men; and who are these handsome others that you bring me? Shin?"

"Finally! I get a word in. Mom, I would like you to meet some friends of mine. Seiji Date," the blonde bowed, "prince Touma of Hashiba," Ai bowed to him, "and Kaosu-sama's disciple, Sanada Ryo."

Ai looked at Ryo curiously, as if not quite believing what her son had said. Ryo smiled easily, tilting his head slightly. "I'm sure you remember me," Ryo said. "I passed by you and Shin one day, only a few blocks from here. Forever afterward Shin said that he would be a monk-sir when he grew up."

Ai's eyes widened slightly, and she bowed low to Ryo. When she rose, she glanced to Shin. "My boy, you have brought me quite an infamous array of guests."

Shin blinked. "'Infamous'?"

Touma suddenly hung his head as Shin's mother explained. "Well, between an indebted prince, a dishonored elf, a mercenary, and Sanada Ryo, I almost believe the rumors."

Shin blinked again. "Rumors?"

Ai nodded. "Would you all please come to the back with me? I'd like to sit down. Shin, be a dear and close up shop. I expect that this will take a while to explain everything." Without another word, Ai walked behind the counter and to the back room. Shuu put a hand on Shin's shoulder, offering to close up shop for him. The monk-sir let him do so gratefully as he lead the other three into the back room.

The back room was, in fact, a sitting room, with three couches and a large ottoman. Ai sat down easily and her face seemed to relax. Touma and Ryo followed suit, while Seiji found the hardwood floor much more comfortable. Shuu came in soon after and sat with his friends. Shin, who had disappeared, returned with a tray filled with tea and cakes.

"I see you still always leave the kettle on," Shin said lightly as he set the tray on the ottoman. He easily handed out the portions. "And you still keep the cupboards stocked." Finally sitting down, he waited for his mother to explain herself.

"You really don't know about the rumors?" Ai asked as she sipped her tea.

"I do not," Shin said. "But then, we've been pretty isolated since mid-spring."

"Isolated?"

"... That's a long story," Shin said. "Yours is probably no doubt quicker."

"I see." Ai sipped her tea again, gathering her thoughts. "Well, they started to filter in about mid spring, now that you mention it. Rumors about a mysterious group of five that had escaped the crown of Hashiba. One was the already famous prince Touma, who ran away from his uncle to continue his gambling habit. With him was a light elf that had been dishonored, as well as a merciless mercenary."

Shuu puffed himself up while Touma hung his head and Seiji just glared.

"There was also a mysterious unknown, leading the troop. Eyes like a tiger and hair like smoke, dressed in red and not afraid to kill for the fun of it."

Ryo smirked knowingly.

Shin cocked his head, sipping his own tea. "Am I mentioned, mom?"

Ai looked down and away. "Well yes. I didn't know it was you, or I would surely have corrected anyone who spoke of these rumors."

"Mom, what did they say?"

"...that there was a priest of questionable morals also traveling."

Shin gaped. "WHAT?"

"Honey!" Ai said quickly. "It's obviously all false! You are the most holy of all the monk-sirs..." Shin's mother faltered as she glanced to Ryo. "...well, one of the most holy. If the account of you is so far off, then I'm sure that the rest if false to. Shuu obviously is not merciless, and the others..." Her voice trailed off as she realized that she did not know enough about her guests and the recent events to back up herself.

"Oh dear," she said finally. "I suppose a lot has been happening to you."

Shin slouched back into the couch, his face forlorn. "That's one way of putting it."

The full story took them all well into the night before they finished. They covered their mysterious first meeting, Touma being found and forcibly brought back to Hashiba, where a traitor had trumped up both the gambling debt and the conspiracy. They also explained their journey to Daasa Laska to allow Seiji to continue their quest, and the mixed results thereof. They told of their time in Kaosu's Keep, much to Ai's wide eyes, and of the exploits of magic.

"My son has magic?" she asked.

"We all do," Ryo said easily. "Shin's magic is water based."

"My son has magic?" she repeated, staring at the person in question.

Shin could only give a small smile. "I do."

"Oh, Shin!" Ai threw her arms around her son. "My boy, I'm so proud of you! I've always known you were meant for great things, as soon as you told me you wanted to be a priest. This is wonderful! I'm so happy for you! This is so exciting!" Ai pulled away from son, her declared emotions splashing across her face along with many others. "I must tell Sayoko, and your former teachers, and anyone who will listen. This is spectacular! I'm so happy I could burst!"

The five could not help but smile at a mother's pride.

The middle aged woman stood up quickly. "I must send a message to your sister. Oh! Did you know she got married last year to Ryuusuke? It's just one great thing after another! I wonder if there are messengers this late at night. You must excuse me." Ai all but danced out of the room.

Shin had the largest grin on his face. "Ah, it's good to be home."

"Your mother," Seiji started, his words trailing off. His lips moved to make words, but he continued to stop, unable to find the right combination. Finally, he said, "She is very loving."

"I wish my parents were around long enough to do stuff like that," Touma said; a mix of envy and respect in his voice. "They're always off doing things. I don't think I've ever seen them more than a few days at a time."

Shin's smile only broadened. "I love her so much..." his voice trailed off, no more words needed.

Suddenly, both Shin and Seiji stiffened. Immediately afterward there was a crash from another room.

"Mom!" Shin dashed out of the sitting room, Seiji right on his heels. The other three followed hurriedly, not quite sure what had happened. They found Shin kneeling over the form of his mother on the floor. Seiji was beside him, quickly examining her.

"Mom? Mom! You got too excited," Shin said softly. "You've over worked your heart. I'm sorry; I should have kept a better eye on you."

Seiji shook his head. "The bad chi will not go away," he murmured. His eyes then jerked to the monk. "Shin! Remember what we talked about?"

Shin looked at Seiji, at first not sure of what he was referring to. Then his eyes widened and he quickly turned back to his limp mother. "Cho Ryu Ha," he whispered, and a soft blue light began to emit from his hand. Immediately, Ai opened her eyes and looked around, confused. Shin kept his hand on her, however for several more minutes. Finally, he lifted his hand and took a deep breath.

"Shin?" Ai asked. "What was that?"

"You son healed you," Ryo said happily. "You overworked your heart with all your excitement, and your son healed it."

Ai blinked, letting Shin help her up. "It's much more than that," she said slowly. "I feel stronger than I have in years."

"Mom? Are you really okay?" Shin asked, concern written on his face.

"You healed me? Oh my boy!" Ai again threw her arms around her son. "I love you so much! Oh!" She pulled away quickly. "I mustn't overdo it again, should I?" A smile split her face, as she put a hand on Shin's cheek. "That doesn't make me love you any less. I'll go sit down." Quickly, she turned to the orange clad Shuu. "Be a dear, and see if you can get hold of a messenger? I need to get in contact with Sayoko. Shin, could you show our guests to the proper quarters? I don't expect them to find an inn at this hour, and I think you all can fit in the spare room." She smiled at the five; a beautiful, proud, pure smile. "I hope you all enjoy your stay here. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to sit down now and wait for the messenger."

"Here, I'll walk you there," Shin said softly. He turned to his friends. "I'll be right back."

Shuu, Shin, and his mother returned to the sitting room, the sound of Shuu exiting to the store and presumably outside to find a messenger.

* * *

Rajura grinned behind his cards. Shuten grinned as well, the reasoning behind it obscure.

"I'll stand with what I have," the Kitsune said. "You?"

"I'm good. How much will you bet?"

Shuten pushed forward three wallets. "This."

"Where did all that money come from?"

"I've been waiting for you for two hours. I had to do something."

"I see all you can do is cause trouble. Why does anybody ever put up with you?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ask yourself?"

Rajura's grin broadened. Insulting each other was always much more fun in person than over the mind link. Rajura put forth his own bet, the entire contents of his wallet.

Shuten raised an eyebrow. "You must think you have a good hand. You're not the type to bluff."

"I'm not. Bluffing is for those who can't think of anything else. I always think of something else."

"Ah," Shuten said. "But are you sure that your hand is so good?"

Rajura smiled cordially. "Of course." He put his cards on the table. "What else would you call a straight flush?"

Shuten nodded. "A straight flush is indeed a good hand. But it's not the best. Never play unless you're certain you have the best hand." Shuten began laying his cards down one by one. "Under most circumstances, a straight flush would be the best. But you're forgetting who you're playing against. If you want to win against me, you have to do better than that." He laid down the last card. "Royal straight flush. I win."

"You cheated."

Shaking his head, Shuten answered, "I did not. I don't need to cheat at cards. There are fifty two cards in a deck. The odds are always stacked in my favor. It's dice that need to be weighted if I want a guarantee to win. Cards are easy."

"Hmph. So you only play with what you know you can win."

"Don't sound so condescending. You play it safe, too. You said it yourself, you never bluff."

Rajura frowned. "I suppose you're right."

"Which makes me wonder why you're spending so much time with that shipman's wife? What a stupid risk."

"What would you know?"

Shuten shrugged easily as he gathered up the cards and shuffled. "You should know by now that I've gotten pretty good at reading people. It's part of the profession. Would you like me to try reading you?"

"Would you listen if I said no?"

"Of course not. I'm going to enjoy rubbing your face in your mistake, just as much as you do me." Shuten played with his cards as he eyed his fellow player. Rajura was uncertain what the gaze meant.

"Ah, I see. You want to be wanted." Rajura's eye widened; and he glared at the Hashiban gambler. "Take my advice, don't settle. Not in cards, not in planning, and never with women. She's a land bound woman who's bored when her man is away. She keeps herself entertained until her man comes home. You said that the head of the guild will be gone for what, six months? And when he returns she'll be all over him. What happens to you in the meantime? You convince yourself that it's only temporary, that it furthers your goals in getting those Troopers in bad straights. But you like being wanted, so you get attached to that feeling. Then what?"

"I suppose you'll tell me."

Shuten grinned. "You'll be forced to make a decision, stay here and hold that precious illusion, or go west with me and the Troopers to see your plans through. You'll choose the latter; you're too thorough a person not to. You'll go to her to explain that something's come up, that you have to leave, and she'll merrily see you on your way all the while looking for her next form of entertainment."

"So?"

"So? You'll be crushed that she didn't cling to you and beg you not to go. Your illusion will shatter, and you'll be in no frame of mind to do what you have to."

Rajura raised an eyebrow, gazing at the redheaded gambler. Shuten said nothing more as he resumed shuffling. After a moment, he dealt out the hands. Rajura examined his hand. The king, queen, and jack of hearts, along with an eight and queen of spades.

"If I'm making such a big mistake, I'm surprised you're not foaming at the mouth in anticipation."

Shuten laughed, causing Rajura to glare at him. "I am. But not the way you think. Unlike certain people who follow Arago-sama, I don't mind the idea of working with other people. Gamblers can't gamble without other players. It's something three people I know can never quiet comprehend. You take a chance; fix your hand to the best that is dealt you. It's only when you lay out your cards that the winner is known."

"What are you saying?" Rajura asked. Parts of what the Kitsune was saying was striking a few chords in Rajura, chords he wasn't even aware were there.

"I'm saying the winner is undetermined. You may be screwing up your hand, but that doesn't mean the cards aren't stacked in your favor. I thought I'd lost my hand in Hashiba, but I was just dealt a bad round. I've still got some prize cards in my possession."

"Like what?"

Shuten suddenly looked very serious. "I know the Troopers."

Rajura scoffed. "You're talking about your precious group dynamics?"

Shuten dealt out the cards again, increasing his hand and dealing a ten of hearts and a six of clubs to Rajura. "You're problem; Rajura is that you don't bother to get to know people. You brag and scoff about knowing every idiosyncrasy and habit and tendency of a person. You never bother to learn why. Take me for example. I'm giving you advice. Why? Because I'm starting to see that we aren't going to win against those cursed Troopers unless we actually start working together. You're unnerved by what I'm saying, but you have every intention of ignoring what I say. Why? Because you're scared I'm right. You don't like the idea of not knowing yourself and being honest enough with yourself that you can't see something so blatantly obvious."

Rajura was about to roll his eye, but thought better of it. He hit again and got the ace of hearts. He'd completed his hand.

"So?" Shuten asked. He put one wallet on the table. Rajura's. "You don't have anything to offer. Let's see what hand you have."

The Kitsune laid out his cards.

Rajura laid out his.

* * *

Ai was not kidding when she used the phrase "fit" in the guest room. Even with Shuu bunking with Shin, Ryo, Seiji, and Touma were hard pressed to find room. Ryo had to shift into a small cat in order for there to be space. Touma took the bed while Seiji slept on the floor, preferring the ground. No one looked worse for wear, though, and all looked very rested the next day.

Sayoko, Shin's older sister, was cooking in the kitchen when the five started to filter down. They all introduced themselves appropriately, and over breakfast Shin again reiterated the journey that had brought Shin back home.

"So where are you going now?" Sayoko asked.

"Castle Yagyu," Ryo replied. "It's in the Yagyu marshes deep in Yuuki."

"So then you're going to head west from here, up the river and across the mountains."

"Yes," Ryo nodded. "As soon as possible."

Shin glanced at Ryo. "Really?"

Seiji also stepped in. "We will be staying at least for a week," he said in a tone that brooked no argument. "It will give us plenty of time to properly gather supplies that we are sorely lacking. Besides, after the hospitality you and your mother have shown us, it is only right that we give you as much time with your son as possible."

"Well said!" Shuu said. "We can visit all the old haunts and Shin and I can treat you guys to a nice, fancy, proper dinner. We haven't had one since this whole thing started, I think we all have earned a nice meal!"

Touma rolled his eyes. "You just want the opportunity to stuff you face."

"So what if I do? You know it takes a lot of energy to keep all you guys in line."

"Then I must be skin and bones," Shin said, not missing a beat. "Because I'm the one who usually has to keep you in line."

"Hey! Say that again, fish-sir!"

"I'm the one who keeps you in line."

"Alright! That's it! Let's take this outside!" Shuu grinned evilly.

"I would love to, but I don't think you want your defeat witnessed by everyone standing outside who can hear every word you say."

Shuu's energy dissipated as confusion covered his face. "I'm not that loud, am I?"

"Look outside," Touma suggested.

Shuu complied and, true to Shin's word, there were a few people glancing and gazing curiously at the pottery shop. The Lugan balked only for a moment before he took it all in stride. He burst out of the shop, startling the onlookers. "Hey there! Anybody out here want to test their stuff on me?"

People very quickly departed.

"They're all cowards," Shuu said dejectedly as he reentered the shop. Then he flashed a quick smile and a victory sign.

"I suppose I'll have no customers today after that," Ai mourned playfully.

"If that's the case," Shin suggested, "You can come with me to the harbor. I want to see what ships are available and who the new captains are."

Ai smiled. "You hardly need my help with that, my dear. No, I'll satiate myself with trying to win back my customers. Sayoko can help me, if she's not too busy."

"Not at all," Shin's older sister replied.

"If that's the case," Ryo said. "I'll go down to the stables and see how the horses are. There must be a blacksmith nearby, and they could use some new shoes. I could also stock up on grains and feed for them."

"I'll go to the weapons district," Shuu offered. "We're almost completely out of wax and oils. If we're going to Sthiss, then I'll see if I can get some more arrows and daggers and stuff. We'll need as much stock as we can get."

"I'll go shopping for food," Touma said. "See if we can't get some meat for once. We could also use a restock on cheese and some fruits."

"Be careful," Shin said. "Food spoils more easily on water."

"I'll go with Touma," Seiji said. "I will be able to tell what will last the sail and what will not. I also want to stock up on some medicines. Nothing in Sthiss ever goes well, and it's best to be prepared."

"Good call," Ryo said. "Let's see how much of this we can get done. The sooner we finish up, the more we can enjoy the week here."

* * *

The first ones back were Touma and Seiji. Touma's head hung low and he all but trudged into the back sitting room, slumping onto one of the couches.

"Oh, dear," Ai said as she stepped in. "What happened?"

"It must be all over the world by now," Touma lamented. "That horrible trial must have been first page news on every paper in Hashiba, and now it must have traveled by word of mouth to the four corners of the globe."

"What are you talking about?"

"Gods curse it! I do NOT have a debt! I've never gambled in my life! What Head of the Bank would be so stupid! You'd think it would be obvious!"

"Oh, my," Ai said slowly. "The rumors?"

Seiji nodded as Touma continued fuming. "It would appear that knowledge of our coming here has preceded us. No one that we talked to would accept Touma's money for fear of loan sharks coming after them." The elf shrugged. "They certainly would not accept my giving them money, as elves are known not to care about such things. Any moderate amount I suggested they met with suspicion of my honor and how I came about the money."

"That sounds like a very bad day," Ai said. "I'll go make some tea. Perhaps that will help."

Seiji smiled softly. "Thank you for your generosity."

As she went off to the kitchen, there came a loud knock from outside followed immediately by the sound of a swinging door. "I'm back!" sounded Shuu's voice.

The mercenary bounced happily into the sitting room, his arms full of supplies. He looked worriedly at Touma, but when he heard the prince's mutterings, he only laughed. "You too, huh?"

"'Too'?" Seiji asked.

"Yeah." Shuu slowly started to place his cargo carefully on the ottoman. "Everyone was asking if I was going to go on a big killing spree. Like I'd ever do that deliberately. I just shrugged it off and said it must have been someone else. They still tried to cheat me on the oils and arrows, but I set them straight."

"'Set them straight'?"

Shuu shrugged easily. "Hey, if a guy charges you twice what's fair and then takes a swing at you, what are you going to do?"

Seiji hid his head in his hands.

"But, I managed to get everything I wanted. Those Naio arrows Touma uses are cursed expensive, but I figured we'd need them. Also got enough oil for the blades to last at least three months. Another small fortune, I might add. Some wax and a couple rags for cleaning, and we're good to go for a good while."

Touma picked up the bundle of arrows and examined them carefully as Shuu and Seiji began to pick up the items and put them away. As they were doing so, Ryo came back with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Hey, guys!" he called out cheerfully.

"Hey!" Touma replied. "How are the horses?"

"I found a good blacksmith. He's forging the shoes as we speak. I also talked to the stable boy, and he'll make sure the horses get extra good treatment. I gave all seven a good scrub down and talking to, and they're happy for the break. Tomorrow I'll go out looking for the grains and oats."

Touma made a face. "You'll have to do the food shopping to. No one'll take my money."

Ryo blinked. "Really? The famous prince of Hashiba?"

"More like infamous. I'm still living down that fictitious debt."

"Oh, I see. We'll have to see what we can do about that."

Seiji and Shuu came back into the sitting room and the four compared notes.

"It looks like our reputations are preceding us," Shuu summed up. "Where did they get started, anyway?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Touma asked. "The Masho. They're the only ones who really know what happened, and if Shuten is any indication, they're well connected. It'd be easy for them to spread the right kinds of rumors in the right places."

Shuu frowned. "But there isn't much we can do about it. Peace is a huge city. We can't just scour the place looking for Shuten and his cronies. It would take to long."

"We also do not know what the others look like. A Yami and a half Sthissthian are hardly descriptive enough, and a Gen could look like anybody." He threw a look over to Ryo, but sagely said nothing.

"You'd think once they actually saw us they'd see how wrong those rumors are," Shuu said, crossing his arms. "I mean, Touma could talk his way out of anything, and all Seiji would have to do is glare at them. I'm just a big teddy bear; you'd think they'd see it."

"This coming from the guy who started a fight just today?" Touma asked.

"I was being cheated. He took the first swing."

"But will everyone remember it that way?" Touma asked. "Or will they remember the big scary mercenary fighting with a helpless merchant? Then tack on those cursed rumors about your being ruthless, and things will get so exaggerated that it will start going around that you stole from him and beat him up when he caught you."

"But it didn't happen like that!" Shuu shouted.

"But they'll think it did," Touma replied calmly.

The mercenary made a face and growled. "This would never happen in Luga."

"Of course not," Ryo said. "Luga is a democracy."

"Mom! I'm home!"

The four turned to see Shin walk into the sitting room. "I got back early!"

"How very nice," Ai replied as she also came in with a tray of tea and cakes. "I'm sorry that took so long," she said to Touma and Seiji. "Sayoko had a customer in the shop that I needed to see. Here we are." She set the tray on the ottoman. "I'll be in the shop if anyone needs me. I close in two hours, and after that I'll get supper ready."

After she departed, everyone took a seat and helped themselves to the food.

"I have some good news," Shin said as he sipped his tea. "I've set up an appointment with the head of the seaman's guild. I've met him once before I was apprenticed to the priesthood. He wanted to let me know that he had heard only of good things about me and that he was sorry to see me go. He even arranged a party for the other captains to hold for my leaving." Shin let an awkward grin cross his face. "There was a lot of sake at that party."

Shuu gave a cry. "You had a party and you didn't invite me? How drunk did you get?"

Shin flushed. "Not at all! I was only fourteen at the time!" Shin grinned awkwardly again. "I think I was the first one to leave the party. Nobody noticed. Anyway," he added quickly, "did I miss much?"

The priest was quickly filled in. "But," he said finally. "You would think that I would have problems, then. But I didn't. Everyone was very glad to see me again."

"Of course," Touma said. "You're well known at the docks, right? Nobody would think that you're the 'monk of questionable morals'."

"That may prove to our advantage," Seiji said, mulling over the information. "The discounting of Shin would upset the sailors, and sailors travel everywhere. That might combat the rumors at least a little bit."

"One can hope," Ryo said. He turned to Shin. "When's your meeting?"

"Tomorrow at lunch. Before that, I'm going to see the ships in port, talk with a few more of the captains. If I talk to them about the false rumors, that may speed up the process. The more people we have on our side, or at least supporting us, the better."

Ryo made a face. "Please be careful on how much you divulge."

Shin shook his head and waved his finger. "Ryo, I've been traveling with you since spring. I've learned more than a few things about being subtle. Besides, they know me. If I don't want to talk about something, they'll understand and know enough not to pry."

"Hey, will they remember me?" Shuu asked, pointing to himself. "Maybe I can come."

"Sure," Shin said. "That might be a good idea."

* * *

Rajura waited patiently in the Dock and Dine, the guild head's favorite tavern, sipping the captain's favorite drink, the Salt Water. It was a course mixture of sake and ale, far too primitive for a refined taste such as his, but Rajura had to pretend that he liked it. Shuten had come by an hour earlier to let him know that the rumors might not work as well as they had originally planned. The priest Mouri was too well known on the docks for it to work effectively. Rajura took the information and planned for it accordingly. The head of the seaman's guild would have to be welcoming to such a well-known and well liked boy. Rajura wondered if he would also have to act annoyed. Shin was late in arriving. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage. He'd learned enough about shipping during his stay here to make the timing an issue. Hmmm. There were some possibilities there.

There came a crashing sound and Rajura, along with half the tavern, turned to the door to see the mercenary and the monk crash through the doors. Beautiful entrance.

"Shin! What was that for?" the Lugan cried as he stood up, pulling his friend along with him.

"I lost my balance, I thought since you were the one who'd pushed; I would take you down with me."

The mercenary laughed heartily. "Got me there. Guess I deserved that. Next time I'll warn you when I pat you on the back."

"Pat or punch?" Shin rolled his eyes before scanning the tavern. His eyes locked with Rajura, and the priest smiled, waving. Rajura only nodded slightly in response.

Shin and Shuu made their way over and pulled up chairs to Rajura's table. The pair seemed unaffected by the rumors. Perhaps they hadn't heard of them. The Gen took steps to remedy that.

"Mouri-sir," he said lightly, a smile on his face.

"Guild-san," Shin replied equally lightly. "It's been a while. How have you been?"

"Oh, alright." Rajura jutted his chin over to the mercenary. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Rei Fuan Shuu. He lived here for a while when we were kids. He's one of a group of us who want to license a boat to take us upriver."

Rajura nodded, pretending to absorb the information. "Alright. How many are in your group?"

"Five."

Rajura cocked an eyebrow, letting surprise enter his features. "Five? Not THE five that escaped from Hashiba?"

The sir made a face and the mercenary laughed. "People seem to think that, don't they?"

Shin raised his hand to quiet his friend. "Well, yes and no. We are 'the five', but things have gotten a little exaggerated since we left Tou Hashiba. For one, there was no debt to begin with. There was a whole big conspiracy of this charlatan advisor. It's a really long story."

"Hey, I got all day," Rajura said easily. "Seeing how good you were when we had you, when I heard you wanted to see me I cleared my day. If I can get you on the rigs again..." he let the sentence lay there.

Mouri smiled but shook his head. "I told you before that I had a calling. I believe that now more than ever."

Rajura mimicked the guild head and shrugged his shoulders. "If you're that convinced. You were saying?"

Mouri did a masterful job of explaining what had happened in Hashiba without explaining what had happened. Rajura's mental assessment of the priest raised up a notch. Up until now, he had pictured the priest as a little too naive. Watching the monk-sir masterfully narrate what had happened to him up until that point changed that. Either he was more adept that he let on, or he had learned a few things during his travels; Rajura wasn't sure which.

"And that brings us here," Shin summed up.

Rajura nodded, again sipping that horrid Salt Water. "Sounds like you've been through a lot."

"That's the understatement of the year!" Shuu said. "So, how about it?"

Rajura smiled. "Your friend doesn't know much about seamanship, does he, Mouri-sir?"

"Not at all," Shin replied. "But he insisted. Anyway. There are five of us, seven horses. I'm still not sure where we stand on supplies and their size and weight just yet. That might take a few days. Our false reputations, you know." Rajura nodded. "The charter would be to Suiss, then take the southern fork and go as far up the River Snake as we can without damage to the ship. I've never been up that way, but from what I hear how far we can go depends on the type of ship we have. Considering the distance and the timetable of one of our group, speed is important. I don't want something too small, maybe a skiff with a cargo hold or a large riverboat. As I said, I've never done much river sailing."

Rajura nodded again. "You're looking for two ships, it sounds like. The river Kaosu is wide, deep, and would tear a smaller ship apart. A small freighter would be your best bet. Snake River, in the meantime, is shallow and treacherous. I wouldn't risk one of my ships on it. I'd recommend you get in contact with the guild head in Suiss. He'll know better than me what you'd need."

Shin nodded. "That's a good idea. Do you know who the head is now?"

Rajura shrugged. "Even at the docks, people disappear in Sthiss. I think there've been five or six guild heads this year alone. I can't help you there."

"I see," Mouri said, his face falling slightly. "I've been looking around the docks to see which ships are in port, but there aren't that many. I should have expected so much in the middle of summer."

"Well, there are three ships coming in over the next couple of days that might fit your needs. Two of them I think have to go back to sea almost immediately, but one of them will be on shore for a few weeks. I think her name's the Mandorallean-Lelldorin."

Shin frowned. "I don't think I've heard of her."

"New ship. Finished two summers ago, I think. New captain, too. I've worked with him before, though. Good man. He likes Salt Water even more than me. Drunk me under the table once, but that's between us." Shuu grinned. "He should be docking with her by the end of the week at the latest. I'll get the files and we can fill them out tomorrow when you have a better idea about the weight of everything you're bringing."

"Agreed. But better to make it the day after tomorrow, I want to make sure we have all our supplies."

"Fine," Rajura said, standing. The monk and the merc followed suit. "Same time, same place, day after tomorrow."

"Gotcha." Shin and Rajura shook hands and the two Troopers walked off.

Rajura smiled and took another sip of the Salt Water.


	17. Peace 16

When Shin and Shuu came home, the other three were already there.

"How'd it go?" Shuu asked.

"Better," Ryo said. "When you put solid gold in front of their face, they become little puppies. We'll have the supplies in a couple of days."

"Good," Shin said. "Do you know how much it will all weigh?"

Touma frowned for a moment. "It'll be enough to way down the pack horses. Maybe a few hundred pounds at most. It's mostly dried fruit, cheese, and trail mix. We did get a few loaves of bread, and some venison. They'll be finished off during the voyage, though."

"I also made sure we have plenty of herbs," Seiji said. The topic of his comment was spread out on the ottoman as he inspected everything carefully. "This is no good," he murmured as he placed a leaf of some plant on a different pile. "It was hard; almost nobody knows how to look for these kinds of things. I feel we spent much more than we should have."

Ryo smiled. Touma made a face. "Seiji, you're too cursed scrupulous. We'd still be there if we let you go through everything!"

"Instead we have wasted money for leaves and seeds that will do me no good."

Touma rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He said nothing more on the subject as he turned to Shin. "How'd it go on your end?"

"Pretty well," Shin said happily. Seiji cursed and placed another leaf onto a growing pile. Everyone ignored him. "The head of the guild really knows his stuff. I haven't done that much river sailing, Roanoke, er, the Korin Forest excluded. He does, though. There's a ship coming in at the end of the week that will be just perfect. We'll only be taken to Suiss. He doesn't want to risk the ships on the Snake River."

Ryo nodded. "Then it looks like we have the rest of the week to ourselves."

* * *

Two days later, true to Shuu's word, the five went out to dinner. Ryo said he was paying, much to Shuu's consternation, but because of that no expense was spared. They went to a large and rich looking restaurant called Peaceovers. Peaceovers had a large, open café in front of the boardwalk, filled with small shaded tables for lovers or small groups. Inside, lush, expensive rugs decorated the wide wooden floors, and the tables were covered in a rich looking silk. Everyone, even the wellborn Touma, could not help but look around in awe at the beauty of the tremp loi walls, depicting exquisite views of the ocean blocks away. The maitre de led the five to a circular table and poured water for them before disappearing.

"Woah," Ryo said finally. "You weren't kidding when you said a 'nice' dinner."

Shuu shrugged. "Only the best for close friends, right?"

Everyone smiled. "Right."

"So let's dig in!"

Everyone face faulted.

The menus arrived to reveal a variety of selection. Seafood was the specialty, but there were also various choices of venison and ham, as well as pastas and salads. Seiji opted for the salad, Shuu and Touma for the venison, Ryo for the ham, and Shin the seafood. While waiting, they commented lightly on the rich surroundings, not really sure where to start.

"Have you ever been here?" Ryo finally asked.

"No," Shin shook his head. "I've heard about it a lot. They receive the highest ratings on restaurant lists for years now. They say that they only hire the best and most talented chefs."

"They also have good selections of wine," Touma said as he sipped his glass. "This is high quality stuff. It must come from southern Lilimundralle."

Shin blinked. "You're a sommelier?"

"A what?" Shuu asked.

"A wine taster," Touma replied absently. "No, but some of the noblemen in Hashiba are. You can't live in that kind of environment and not learn at least a few things."

"So you can hold down your liquor?" Shuu asked.

Touma's face hit the table. "That's not was a sommelier does, Shuu. But yes, I've tried various wines. I find I can have a glass or two, but not much more. I don't have the stomach for it."

"Nor myself," Seiji said slowly. He hadn't touched his glass, instead favoring the water.

"That's funny," Ryo said. "I never pictured you as the type to not hold anything down."

Seiji shook his head. "I am the odd one out in my family. Everyone can drink their sake but me. I have one sip and I lose more control than I like."

Ryo nodded. "There's that too. I don't mind having a drink now and then. Sometimes it's downright medicinal, but I'm always careful about not having too much. I've been around long enough to see what too much can do to you."

"It's all about how you think about it," Shuu said. "So long as you stop, you're fine. I have a pretty high tolerance to the stuff; I can drink my fair share of people under the table. But that doesn't mean I do. Besides, most people just get stupid when they've had too much. I figure someone has to be with it enough to knock out some lights if things get too out of hand."

Everyone groaned.

"You would, too," Shin moaned. "I myself have never really been in a situation of drinking. Well, except for my going away party, but I considered myself too young to drink anything. I always use wines and brandies when I'm cooking for flavor, but that's about my experience."

Shuu suddenly let out a big laugh. "How is it that five people who are so completely different get along so well? Look at us. I don't think anyone here shares any common ground with anyone else, but we're sitting here in the most expensive restaurant in Peace having a blast."

Ryo grinned openly. "Oh, I don't know. I think we have a lot in common."

"You mean our maho," Seiji said.

"No, besides that. We might not have met given our different circumstances, but I think if we ever did meet, we would have hit it right off. Look at Shin and Shuu, for example. They met when they were kids. I doubt they shared anything in common, but there still became great friends."

"You know, I think you're right," Shin said, his lips frowning in thought. "I remember some of our neighbors often wondered how we ever became friends because we were nothing alike. Shuu was brash and always got into fights and was playing in the mud. I was an indoors kid, trying to cook or helping mom with the shop. But we always had fun together. We sort of just meshed well, together."

"And that's my point," Ryo said as the foods arrived. "We all mesh well. Like I said when I first met all of you, we all have special talents and gifts. We also have weaknesses and faults. But the combination of the five of us makes up for our faults. We're like a puzzle. Each one of us fits into the other five. We make a whole."

"I have always wondered," Seiji started. He paused to take a bite of his salad. "They say that five is a lucky number, because it creates positive chi. Four is a negative number because it creates negative chi. I had always assumed it was because of the five elements; fire, light, water, earth, and air. What if they were thinking about us when they created it?"

"Now there's a deep question," Touma said as he took another large mouthful of his venison. "Did the mighty game master Kayura-sama do all of this deliberately; create five elements for us, or were we created for the five elements?"

"Well," Ryo said. "There are technically nine elements. The Masho have the elements of the seasons, spring, summer, fall, and winter. Nine is also a lucky number. But I don't even want to guess as to what Kayura-san was thinking. She's a little unpredictable about that sort of thing. Of course, if she heard me saying that, she would whack me over the head with something. My luck, she's probably listening right now and fuming."

Shuu laughed. "I can just picture it! Veins popping and everything." Shuu suddenly blinked. "Ryo? Does Kayura-sama have a disciple like Kaosu-sama and Arago?"

Ryo shook his head. "No, she doesn't. I asked her about that once. She said that it wasn't time for one yet. About the closest she ever had to a disciple was Kenbukyo. He died."

"Oh, my," Shin said. "How did that happen?"

"He sacrificed himself. It was just after the Fifty Year War. Kayura was returned, but whatever godly magic Arago-baka had performed on Kayura didn't go away. I was sent to get Kayura's gift from Kenbukyo. He had been helping Kayura-san on making it. He wasn't finished, but when he heard about what happened, he explained that the last thing that needed to be done had to be done by Kayura-san. If she wasn't in the state to do it, then he would do it himself. He sacrificed his life force to finish it. With his dying breath he bequeathed to me his two tigers, Byakuen and Kokueno."

"Byakuen? The tiger at Kaosu's Keep?" Shuu asked.

"The same."

"Where's Kokueno, then?" Shin asked.

"He didn't really like me. Well, no, that's not true," Ryo amended. "He was loyal to Kenbukyo and only Kenbukyo. He didn't like the idea of going off with someone who wasn't part of the family."

"Do you know where he is now?" Seiji asked.

"He's still with the family. Kenbukyo had a son and two daughters. He kept watch over them and all successive members of the family."

"Excuse me," the waiter said. "Will there be anything else?"

"Yes," Touma said. "Do you have a dessert cart?"

"We do. I will wheel it over right away."

The waiter departed and quickly returned with the dessert cart, explaining what the dishes were. Shuu and Touma ordered two helpings of a lush cake. Seiji had a lightly flavored ice cream, while Shin and Ryo had a type of pudding. When the food arrived, the conversation continued.

"How well do you guys know Sthiss?" Shuu suddenly asked.

"I know what has been said," Seiji answered. "I have never been there."

"Me neither. I know what the other monks say, but by now I wonder how accurate that all is."

"I've been down there once or twice," Touma said. "It's gods cursed hot, and the people aren't that nice all the time, so I try to avoid the place if I can."

"I know the place pretty well," Ryo said. "You?"

"I've pulled a few operations there. I'll tell you, the last thing you want to be is uninformed in a place like that. The most trouble is caused by the people who don't know anything about the place."

"You bring up a good point. I almost got killed the first time I was there," Touma said.

"Then it is as bad as they say?"

"Worse, probably," Shuu answered. "Everybody thinks that it's the Temple of Kaosu that's in charge. Sorry Shin, but that's just what the sirs want us to think. They're the ones who make laws and stuff, but whether the laws are followed or not is up to a coin toss. The Sthissians hate; and I mean HATE the cloth. If they think you're even faintly associated, they won't think twice about killing you. They're constantly trying to overthrow the theocracy."

"The problem," Ryo continued, "is that there are too many factions of the revolutionaries. Nobody can agree on anything. Sthissians aren't the type to work together; it's almost against their nature. The result is a lot of conflict in ranks, and then nothing gets done. The revolutionaries stick together just long enough to cause some kind of riot or uprising; get cocky about the small victory; step on someone's toes and then get bumped off. It's the embodiment of the 'kill or be killed' policy of life."

"How horrible," Shin said.

Ryo shrugged. "I tried to help them out once. I almost didn't come back. Byakuen had to save me. I'm not exaggerating when I say that nobody trusts anybody. Even in the theocracy, the monks have their own problems. When not dealing with Sthissian uprisings, they're dealing with internal power struggles."

Shuu nodded and picked up. "Shin probably could tell us better, but from what I heard, the monks who get sent to Sthiss are usually from the bottom of the barrel. You either have extremely good fighting skills, or you did something really stupid to get yourself in trouble in order to get assigned there. Most of the priests I came across aren't worthy of the blues. The few decent ones are either in hiding or dead."

"And we are traveling there why?" Seiji asked; appalled by what he had been hearing.

"Because it's the fastest way to get to the Lugan mountains," Ryo explained. "I didn't want to go there at all, but it's unavoidable. Winter in Luga comes at about mid fall here, and that means several feet of snow. I don't want to have to winter there if we can help it."

"Then how to we get in without dying?" Shin asked. "I'd be killed on sight."

"Well, that's easy enough," Touma replied. "Disguise."

"Huh?"

Wincing, Touma explained. "We all, er have a reputation by this point, false or otherwise. But if it preceded us to Peace, then you can rest assured that it will precede us to Suiss. We won't be able to travel as we are. We'll have to come up with some sort of disguise, rearrange our party, if you will."

Seiji and Shuu nodded at the logic. Ryo just grinned.

"We can probably work out the details on the ship," Shin suggested. "The closer we get the better a feel for the situation we'll have."

"I'll also want to start training you on a few things," Ryo added. "For one, the mental links. Everything from walls to ceilings to mud has ears, and we wouldn't want anyone listening to anything important that we have to say. I also was to make sure you all have mastered the more refined points of your maho. The last thing we need is for someone to mess up and, say, send a pillar of rock shooting up out of the middle of the river."

"I assume that comment was directed at me."

"It was directed at all of you. If it becomes necessary to use your maho, you'll have to use it subtly and make sure that no one can trace it back to you."

"Aw, come one," Shuu whined. "I thought this was supposed to be a nice relaxing dinner. No strategies or anything."

Everyone laughed.

"Then a toast," Seiji said as he raised his water glass. The others followed suit. "To our talents. May they last us through this trial."

"Amen to that," Shuu affirmed as they all clicked their glasses and continued with lighter tones of conversation.

* * *

"So?"

"So."

". . . Anything?"

Shuten grinned. "I gathered everyone you requested. Quite a surly looking bunch; let me tell you. Are they as stupid as they look?"

"Probably," Rajura replied as he dealt the cards. "I don't care so long as they can drive a boat."

"You mean steer a ship. You are the head of the seaman's guild, remember."

Rajura humphed as he examined his hand. "I think I'll stand with these."

"Hit me two."

"I would love to." Rajura resisted the temptation, however, and instead dealt the two cards as Shuten had meant.

"One more."

Rajura did so, and Shuten laid out his cards. "Twenty one."

"Curse it." Rajura handed over the money owed and quickly grabbed the cards to shuffle again.

"What's the grand plan?" Shuten asked as he sipped his drink.

"Nothing like I want it. I didn't have enough time to set things up here as much as I wanted, so the best I can do is charter them on the most run down piece of guano that I can find and captain the 'surly' bunch you brought together. If I had even another month, I could have settled everything here, but nooooooooooo. I can't overthrow Peace or Yang Shi like I want. I can't make grand and articulate plans fitting of what I'm capable of. Instead I'm stuck being an assistant to you three incompetents."

"You're so polite," Shuten said. He glanced at his cards. "I'll stand."

Rajura dealt himself three cards. "Nineteen."

"Twenty."

"You marked this deck, didn't you?"

"Why should I? I already know the cards." Shuten suddenly grinned. "Alright, then. If you want to up the stakes, why not the loser buy the next drink?"

Rajura glared at Shuten suspiciously.

"You can get a deck from the bar. I won't touch them. I'll even play blind."

An eyebrow arched as Rajura sized up Shuten. If the Kitsune never touched the cards, there would be no way for him to cheat. If he won enough games and got the cursed fox drunk enough, he might even make off with his stolen money. But then, this was Shuten's idea. That meant he had something up his sleeve. But it was by its very nature in Rajura's favor.

"Roll up your sleeves and empty your pockets."

"What?"

"If you want to up these stakes, I want to make sure you're not playing me. Do it."

Shuten rolled his eyes, but he complied. He even went so far as to take off a few of his layers. Rajura got up to get the new deck, keeping his eye on the Kitsune at all times. Shuten did nothing, however. He just sat there sipping his drink.

When he returned, they played their first hand.

"So you think we're incompetents?" Shuten asked lightly as he looked at his hand.

"Frankly, I don't see why my talents are ignored. I'm the most strategic of the lot of you, but I always get the bit parts."

"Hit me. I'd say that that was the best use of your talents." Rajura hit himself and considered his options. "With such a great mind, it's better to have you in the field, where you can do the most good. Having three or four centralized plans of attack will do Arago-sama no good if those five Troopers don't get there. Someone has to pull the right strings to make sure they're herded like the sheep they are into the right location at the right time. With your oversized freighter and idiot crew, plus whatever the Doko and long-ear are up to, they'll be forced to winter in Luga, while we can shoot ahead of them and have an uninterrupted season to plot their demise."

Rajura stared at his gambling partner.

"By the way. Twenty one. I guess you get the first drink."

* * *

"Alright," Ai said, hugging her son. "You have everything? Your spare clothes? The pots I cleaned last night? The food?"

Shin laughed. "Yes mom. I have the cookies you made for us, the extra canteens of clean water, the cleaned pots, and enough loving from you to last me until next year."

Tears slowly slipped down her eyes. "Shin, you'll be alright, won't you? Sthiss is a dangerous place. Oh, I'll miss you so much! Shin, I'm so proud of you! Be careful, won't you?"

Shin smiled sadly. "I'll send word as soon as I'm able. Don't worry. Kaosu-sama will protect me."

"Oh, he'd better, or I'll never forgive him! All of you!" She shot a glare at the four others. Sayoko smirked behind her mother. "You had better do right by him or you'll hear from me!"

Shuu laughed. "Don't worry, Auntie, if things get too messy, I'll just bury the corpses. Nobody'll have to know."

"Shuu!"

Ryo put a hand on Ai's shoulder. "I promise, I'll do everything I can to protect him. All of them."

"Well, that's all I can ask, I guess." Ai let out a small shudder. "You'd better get going before I lose all my composure. Go on."

The five exited the pottery shop and mounted their horses from the boardwalk. Ai and Sayoko watched from the door, Sayoko waving and Ai trying very hard not to break down completely. Ryo bowed deeply to Shin's mother and slowly led the others down the street. Shin kept looking back and waving, his face growing sadder and sadder as he did so.

"Hey," Touma said. "Are you okay?"

"I will be once we're on the ship. I was never good at goodbyes."

"Nobody is," Ryo said simply.

They made their way to the docks in silence. Shuu let them all think their thoughts. Despite popular belief, he knew when to keep his mouth shut. When they reached the docks, the freighter Mandorallen-Lelldorin looked extremely rundown. He noticed that Shin was also scrutinizing the vessel.

"Isn't this a little, uh, old?" Touma asked.

"It is," Shin replied. "Look at the keel, and the sails. Even the anchor. What happened?"

"Some really bad weather," a voice from the ship called. A redheaded man swankered down the gangplank; sizing up the five. "You the passengers?"

"We are," Shin said. "Is she worthy? What on earth did you run into?"

"A hurricane about two hundred miles offshore," the mad replied easily. Shuu noticed he had green eyes. "Got into port yesterday and tidied up the worst of it. Hardly good for ocean travel, but some quick money on something as easy as the Kaosu River can make us last. The cargo ain't that heavy, at any rate. We'll patch as we go."

Shin frowned noticeably. "How bad is the hull?"

The redhead laughed. "Not nearly so bad as she looks. This old plank of wood has been through hurricanes, pirates, raids, and even a few deck fires. She's as scarred as they come, but she still does us good."

"Okay," Shin said softly, working mentally through the logic. "Would you mind me giving her a look over?"

"Not at all," the redhead said. "I'm the first mate; I'll give you a personal tour."

Shin nodded and quickly dismounted. He turned to the others. "You don't mind taking care of my mount, would you?" he asked.

"I got it," Ryo said. "The rest of you can take care of the supplies."

They quickly complied, and then regrouped in their cabin. It was small even by a seaman's standards, and the five had to either crouch on the ground or stretch out on their bunks in order to have room.

"The horses are taken care of. They're a little skittish in such a small place, but they'll be okay."

"I'm not sure about this ship," Shin said. "Kaosu River is infamously calm, and if it weren't for that I'd say that we wouldn't make it. It's barely being held together. I think I'll help them when they do their repairs."

"I will too," Shuu added. "I saw some of the wood is rotting in the storeroom. That's hardly inspiring."

"Well, our first priority will be your training," Ryo said slowly. "We need to schedule ourselves if we're going to be working on the ship on top of everything."

"In that case," Touma said. "I say we do as much of the repairs we can today, maybe tomorrow. The most laborious of the work. Then all that will be left will lighter work that will be quicker to do. By then we'll have a good sense of how the day plays out, and we can make a schedule better."

"In that case, let's get to work." Shuu flexed his muscles and rolled his shoulders.

* * *

Two days later, the five reassembled in their cabin. Touma and Shin worked out knots in their backs with the help of Seiji.

Shuu reached into a pack he had brought in with him and pulled out several maps. "Okay, I think our first step before we do anything is to figure out what we're gonna do in Sthiss. I picked this up before we left." He unrolled the map and put it on the floor. "Has anyone been in Sthiss more than me?"

"I probably have," Ryo said. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well," Shuu said. "First off is to figure out where we meet if anything happens. This is Sthiss we're talking about, something will go wrong. We'll need a place outside the center of the city. A place hopefully not all that known. I don't know if such a place exists."

"Here," Ryo said, pointing to a spot on the map. "There's a half buried shack. There used to be more city there, but after one of the uprisings, there was a fire and a landslide. The shack is about the only thing that isn't completely buried and grown over. It's hard to find even by people acquainted with the jungle. Here, watch." Ryo closed his eyes, and suddenly everyone saw the image of greenery in their minds.

"Woah," Touma said, not expecting the sudden opening of the mind link.

The greenery consisted of large leaves and boldly colorful flowers. It parted slowly to an obscure path barely able of being followed. The four watched as the path lead to a thick collection of exotic trees, behind which was a moderate clearing. There were fallen boards of moss covered wood, barely visible, and an odd mound rising from the underbrush.

"That's the shack?" Shuu asked.

"Yes. You all got that?"

"We did."

"I'll show you how to get there more the closer we get. It also doubles as practice."

"Okay, so that's our retreat if and when something goes wrong." Shuu studied the map a while. "Yeah that will work pretty well. Depending on where things would fall apart, the first two priorities is to get out and get the horses. That would probably be Ryo's job. He can turn into anything. The most likely points of explosion depend where we're going to stay. Does anyone know what we're going to be when we get there?"

"Something where I wouldn't say much," Shin said. "I can gloss over things, but it's very hard for me to out and out lie. I'd rather avoid that possibility if I can. It would be easier if I just didn't have to talk much. Keeping my mouth shut would be easier than trying to think up a convincing lie."

"Touma and I can come up with something tonight," Ryo said. "We'll do it up here," he added, pointing to his forehead.

"Alright," Shuu commented. "We'll wait. I'll keep looking at the map and look up good escape routes. I'll pick the best ones once we know our disguise."

Ryo suddenly looked up. "I think that's all we should say for now. I think someone just came below decks."

"In that case," Seiji said, not missing a beat. "I have a good idea as to what our schedules could be on this trip. We can divvy up like this."

Seiji pulled out a paper and outlined his ideas.

* * *

Shuten tried to steady himself in the rocking hull. He had picked up what the cursed Troopers had said about disguises, but it didn't look like he'd find out what they were planning to hide themselves as. He hated even more that he had to pretend like he had sea-legs. Shuten's one consolation was that the only other Hashiban on the ship also had trouble on the water.

The ship lurched and Shuten's stomach jumped up to his throat.

Curse that Gen for getting such a horrid rock of a boat. Curse that Gen for saying that the trip was gentle since the Kaosu River was so calm. This was not calm!

Carefully hanging onto the walls as his life-support, he walked down the hall to the captain's quarters. In other words, Rajura's. The cursed Gen had been passed out since Shuten had carried him on board. Evidently, the one-eyed magician couldn't hold his liquor. When the Kitsune had suggested that the loser buy drinks, he didn't realize that Rajura would get so drunk that he'd be out cold in a drunken stupor for the past two days.

Shuten stumbled into the captain's quarters, grimacing at what could be called the largest room on the ship which was miniscule by Hashiban standards. Still, there was room enough for a stool, so he took it, trying to keep his innards from volleying out of his mouth.

"You look like the curses got you," mumbled the white-haired figure on the bed.

"You look worse," the Kitsune replied. "You never told me that you couldn't hold your liquor."

"I can," Rajura groaned, getting up and rubbing his temple. "I'm willing to bet that the drinks I had wasn't just liquor."

Shuten raised an eyebrow. "Poison? That snake isn't anywhere near here. Besides, it isn't his style. He only contaminates priests-sirs. Even then, he's got decent reason to. So who'd try and kill you? The Troopers? They certainly don't go for that kind of thing. Plus, they don't know that you were the guild head."

"No," Rajura disagreed, "that's not the only option." Rajura got up, if on shaky legs, and moved to the small dirty mirror to clean himself up. "Remember, I was parading around as the guild head. Someone may have had their own issues with him and I merely got it by accident."

"And why would someone despise the head?" Shuten asked, not liking the implications.

"Because his wife seeks entertainment," the illusionist stated. He turned back to Shuten, looking much better than he probably felt. "If his wife often spends her time like that when her husband is away, then someone might have gotten possessive. I might have ruined their plans by 'reentering' the picture."

Shuten nodded.

Rajura chuckled grimly. "Evidently, it's not a good idea to take over someone's life like that for so long. I don't know what all the implications will be."

"You could have been killed."

"I might still be," the Gen calmly stated. "The poison was probably meant to kill. I'm willing to bet that my maho is keeping it from killing me quickly, but I think it's still in my system."

Shuten grimaced. "We'll have to ask the Doko if he can do anything for you."

"Like he cares enough about the rest of us to try and help us."

"Would you rather die or swallow your arrogance?"

Rajura said nothing.

Shuten let out a long sigh. "I'll tell the crew that you're down with the flu or some sort of fever. That will help you stay below for this voyage."

Rajura still said nothing.

"Curse it, you stupid Gen," Shuten shouted, standing up, "I said before that I'm willing to work as a team, but you need to be alive for it!" He slammed the door and stormed down the hall.

The white-haired illusionist remained silent, but sent out a thought to Sthiss.

* * *

Seiji silently meditated at the bow of the ship, enjoying his few moments of quiet for the day. He had spent the morning helping Shin continue with the almost perpetual patching up of the barely seaworthy ship before having a small lunch. Now was his only quiet time before the five of them discussed plans for the evening. When they had woken up that morning, the red haired first mate informed them that the captain had taken ill with the flu, which succeeded in making Shin even more nervous about the voyage. In a small corner of Seiji's mind, he wondered if Shin would be alright when they got to Suiss.

"Seiji."

"Ryo." The light elf turned to see the shape-shifter sit down next to him.

"What can I do for you?"

"I'll admit I'm not sure if you can."

"Oh?" Seiji's ears twitched. Ryo didn't often admit uncertainty.

"Last night, I dreamed of a conversation I had with my master a very long time ago. He told me something that I didn't understand very well and I thought you might understand it better."

"Pray tell."

Before Ryo had the chance, Touma's blue form blurred by them heading for the rail. While no unhealthy sounds emitted from him, he stayed close, gripping the handle like his life depended on it.

Seiji grimaced. The water wasn't even that rough. In fact, it was even calmer than the river in the Korin forest and the trip across the Bread River.

"I might as well include Touma in this. He might know," Ryo muttered.

"So what is this mysterious conversation?" Seiji asked, getting a little impatient.

The Korin elf was expecting Ryo to recount the discussion. He wasn't expecting to be taken back to it.

Seiji and Touma were taken away from their cruise and surrounded by a mist.

_Ryo?_ Touma questioned the fog around them.

_Hold on. This is a transition between where you were and my memory. It's quite a jump, so this fog is needed as a buffer._ Ryo's voice emanated from the mist, gently encasing the two in a warm embrace. Soon, they were surrounded by a warm gentle flame that quietly burned away the mist, but didn't affect them in the slightest. When the mist was gone, the flames dissipated, revealing Ryo, who looked different somehow, sitting by the fireplace of the small tower in Kaosu's Keep. Across from him sat the tender god himself, both staring at the fire.

_Master,_ the odd-Ryo stated, interrupting the crackling of the fire. _Why does fire burn in different colors? Some are a mix of yellow, orange, and red, others are blue and white. Why is that?_

The old, yet young looking god chuckled, a warm and loving sound, that filled Seiji and Touma with a warm and fuzzy feeling, leaving them wondering if they should be watching such a tender moment.

_That has to do with how the sound is filtered,_ the god answered.

_Sound? Filter?_

_Light is the filtering of sound._

Odd-Ryo looked overly puzzled as he mulled over the response in his head.

_Don't worry, Ryo-kun. Someone else will explain it to you, one day._

The gentle blaze from the fireplace engulfed the room, erasing the scene of the memory as the mist returned.

_Does the mental link we share have this much versatility?_ Touma asked, staring at the fog in amazement.

Ryo's voice once more surrounded them, replying, _The mind can do what the mind can imagine._

_Unbelievable._

Seiji, however, was thinking. The implications were profound. If sound had something to do with light, the things he could do to make sure his family had privacy was just overwhelming. However, the one thing Seiji had to his benefit when working with his maho was that he had a natural understanding about light and how to work with it. Unfortunately, this idea that sound and light were alike was foreign to him. Seiji blinked, realizing that he was no longer in fog but instead, back on the bow. Touma had sat down next to them, his eyes bright in inspiration and intelligence.

"So, could you make any sense of that?" Ryo asked. "Even when I was at Hashiba's University, I had some trouble with science. It took me doing it myself in order for me to understand." He chuckled, running a hand through his hair, "Of course, I couldn't play with light, so I don't get the idea."

"That's because it's one of the more recent theories to be tossed around the discussion table at the University," Touma stated, a smile on his face. "One of the newer professors at the University has been saying that sound is nothing more than vibrations, like when you hit a tuning fork. He also says that light is a combination of particles and sunlight. A particle reflects light absorbing the rest which determines the color. However if you put light through a prism of glass, the light can be separated into a rainbow."

"That's all well and good, Touma," Seiji replied, "but what does that have to do with light and sound being the same?"

"Let me finish," the prince retorted. "Now, if light can be reflected, that implies that it bounces back, much like the prongs of a tuning fork. So the professor states that light and sound are the same."

Seiji frowned, mulling over the theory in his head. Something was still missing in the explanation that he wasn't quite getting. He saw how sound could be waves. Striking a tuning fork produces sound, but if the fork where placed in water, waves would be produced. However, the idea of light being waves as well didn't seem to make sense to him.

In response to his confusion, Touma fumbled with something over the mental link. "Think of it like this, Seiji," he explained. "When light comes down from the sun it's a pure white light." In Seiji's mind a line wavered in his line of vision, slowly straightening to become a white line heading for what appeared to be the outline of an apple. "When light hits something, part of it is absorbed and part of it is reflected, which produces color." The white line hit the apple with lots of squiggly red lines bounce off of it. "Since the light bounces off, it can no longer go in a straight line. It's similar to sound. Sound bounces off the walls of a theatre, vibrates with itself, and is amplified." Seiji nodded in understanding.

"Good, now if we were to modify what the light were to hit," the white line now headed for a triangle, which Seiji presumed to be a prism. "When light goes through the prism, it's broken up." The line went through the triangle and broke into a rainbow of varying squiggly lines, each of a different length and a different color. "If light bounces and becomes a color, then color is the wave of a light at a particular degree. Vary the degree and change the color."

Seiji's eyes widened. "So if I were to change the wave of light, then I could change the wave of sound!"

"Bingo."

Ryo looked between the two, appearing very confused. "So, if you understand this, Seiji," Ryo asked tentatively, "it might be something to practice so we could keep our communications more private?"

Seiji smiled with the light of the sun.


	18. Peace 17

Shin laid himself out on the floor of their small cabin, utterly exhausted. When the red haired first mate, who looked remarkably familiar but he couldn't place it, had stated that the ship was seaworthy, Shin had given him the benefit of the doubt. Very often a ship could look in worse condition than it was, and as such, could sail very well. However, now that he was on this ship, he doubted whether they should be on the river at all, no matter how calm the River Kaosu was. The former sailor had spent more time just trying to patch the oversized boat up than should have been necessary. He was tired and wanted to sleep more than anything else. Unfortunately, this was only a small break before he had to practice with his maho with the others and then their evening conference about how to handle the volatile Suiss.

He rolled over on the floorboards, noticing that some of them were beginning to rot in small areas. This ship wasn't a few years old, and it wasn't just sea-battered. It was neglected. Such a thing was just impossible for a good sailor to do, which implied that the head of the guild they had met at Peace wasn't the real one. If the illusionist could imitate someone so completely, then Shin wasn't even sure if the illusionist was on the boat.

Things were just not going their way.

The door to the cabin opened and the heavy footsteps of Shuu stomped into the room.

"Shin," the Lugan asked, "Are you alright?"

"Just tired," the priest-sir muttered. "Did you know that the guild head we met back home wasn't the real one?"

"Yup."

Shin raised an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that! I didn't become a great merc for nothing, you know!" Shuu smiled, lightly knocking his finger on Shin's forehead. "I do have some brains. It just doesn't look like it half the time."

Shin sat up and grabbed Shuu's head under his arm, proceeding to rub his own knuckles in the Lugan's ashy hair. "Okay, you big lug, how did you know?"

"Ow! Shin, leggo! I thought you were tired!"

"So you say," Shin mumbled, letting his large friend lose.

Shuu chuckled warmly. "I knew when we met him. When you told him that there would be five passengers he automatically thought of the infamous five that everyone's been talking about. That meant he probably held some stock in the idea of you being the 'questionable' monk-sir. It bugged me for a while." Shuu ruffled Shin's already disheveled hair. "But, I didn't really put two and two together until I saw this wreck."

"So what do we do?"

"Keep acting normally," Shuu replied. "Don't let them know that we're on to them. That way, if there are other Masho in Sthiss, we'll give them a false sense of security."

"Good idea," Seiji agreed, appearing in the doorway, along with Ryo and Touma. "We have also come upon something interesting. It seems I might have some control over sound."

"Care to demonstrate?" Shin stated in disbelief as the three sat down.

"That's what we've been practicing all afternoon," Touma interjected. "I'm helping him out by making a little wall of wind that dampens sound, that way, Seiji can start small, rather than having to block out everything at once." Already a faint breeze started to circle around the room, growing stronger until small things that weren't held down started to rattle in the wind. Seiji's brow furrowed in concentration.

Shin blinked, amazed. His hearing was slowly starting to change. Some of the rattling that the smaller objects were doing was suddenly amplified and then removed from hearing, making a rather eerie silence.

"It's not as natural a control as I have of light," Seiji stated, his voice bearing a weird echo that didn't sound normal.

"Yeah," Touma stated, also with an odd echo quality. "I'm doing most of the work this time. Given time, I think Seiji will get better." The wind swept prince shrugged. Evidently, he was having a much easier time with dampening the sound than Seiji had with blocking it.

"So," Shuu asked, getting down to business, "what did you come up with for disguise ideas?"

Touma grimaced. "It would have been easier if Ryo could just become a different animal so that 'the infamous five' that everyone knows about would become four."

"Unfortunately," Ryo explained, "when I'm in a more animal-based form, we can't communicate with the mind link. We can still sense each other, but animal speak is too different from human or elf speak." The disciple sighed. "Not even elves can understand animal speak, and when I'm in an animal form, I talk in animal speak."

"So we're still stuck with the fact that we're a group of five," Touma continued. "Remember back when Ryo got some disguises?"

"Oh yes," Shin nodded. "He succeeded in making me convinced he was deceitful if we needed disguises. It seems I was wrong. He was actually having foresight."

Ryo blushed and ran a hand through his hair. "Not really. I just knew that the five of us would stand out quite easily. If we ever needed discretion, disguises would probably be needed."

"In any case," Seiji interrupted, "Please tell us about our disguises. I cannot guarantee how long I can keep the noise silent to those outside of our cabin."

"Right," Touma agreed. "The long and short of it is that we'll be noticed, even if we try to sneak into Suiss. So I think we should make a scene. Let everyone see us. Chances are the Masho are expecting us to come in with stealth. The spare clothes that Ryo has will need a lot of work, but we can probably fudge our way as a party of someone moderately important."

"I'm the one of importance," Shuu stated.

"Oh?" Shin asked.

"I've probably spent the most time in Sthiss, with the exception of Ryo. I know how to work my way around the hierarchy."

"You'll need my help on that," Shin replied.

"That's why you'll be my manservant," the Lugan answered. "Touma can be my advisor, Seiji an emissary who the elves have assigned to me, and Ryo," Shuu paused, winching. "It'd be best if you weren't human. I think you'll have to be a Sthissian."

Ryo nodded. "That's for the best. Remember, you'll own me, so you'll have some measure of control over how I'm treated."

"Wait a minute," Shin interjected, "you're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?"

Seiji reached over and put a hand on Shin's shoulder. "As non-humans, they aren't treated well. The Korin elves have been trying for centuries to try and help the Sthissians, but they can't agree on anything."

"Remember," Shuu added, "you wanted a disguise that would keep you quiet. You're going to see a lot of things that you probably won't like, but you have to keep quiet."

Shin let out a sigh. "Alright. Give me the clothes Ryo had gotten and I can probably help make them into something fitting to our disguises."

"I can help," Ryo stated. "I've had to repair my fair share of clothes over the years."

"If we're quite finished," Seiji muttered, "I don't think I can hold the sound back much more."

Touma released his winds and Seiji let out a long sigh.

_We still need to discuss subtleties in maho,_ Shuu's voice whispered in their heads. _But I think we can talk about that tonight when everyone's asleep._

_No need_, Ryo replied. _I think all of you can learn on your own._

* * *

Touma leaned over the rail of the ship, wishing that he wasn't so blasted sensitive to the waves. He didn't get this sick during his brief times of flying, and he pulled more stunts during those flights than a boat rocked on the waves. From what he'd learned, all Hashibans had this lovely seasickness. Thankfully, Touma usually didn't end up seeing his meals, but it was hardly pleasant.

"Hey," a loud voice behind him boomed, landing a heavy hand onto the sick prince's shoulder. "Feeling any better yet?"

"No, Shuu," Touma replied, peeling himself off of the railing. "I'm not. So what brings you here to bug me? I thought you were helping Shin do the few repairs you could for this sea-tossed vessel."

"Not much more can actually be done," Shuu replied, leaning onto the rail himself. He continued more quietly, "This ship shouldn't even be on the seas, no matter how calm they are."

"Ouch. How are we even floating?"

"Shin's maho," the large Lugan replied quietly. "He's keeping the leaks from coming in. It's hard during the night, because he can lose his concentration when he sleeps, which usually leads to him guiding the water back out of the hull."

"But by then the damage is already done," Touma stated. "Water in the hull makes the wood rot."

"Exactly." Shuu looked out to the green fields of Yang Shi to their south. "I've also been having some trouble trying to figure out 'more subtle' uses of my maho. I can't really practice on anything, because I'm above the ground that's under the water, or miles from the shore. There isn't actually much I can do."

The two remained in silence for a while, each thinking. Touma set his mind to Shuu's dilemma. There had to be some way for the Lugan to try and practice his maho. Something bugged Touma in the back of his mind. There was something he knew that could probably help Shuu, but he couldn't think of it.

"Oh!" Touma started, standing straight up. "That's it!"

"Huh?"

"Shuu, Ryo said that you were part Kongo, right?"

Shuu's eyes widened in confusion. "Yeah, he mentioned that back when we were on the River of Elves. None of us are fully human."

"Now I understand," Touma muttered, his mind racing faster than his mouth. "When I was in school, we studied about some of the extinct races that existed a while back. I particularly remember the Kongo, because they had an odd element system, very different from any others. They had physical objects that represented the elements, so that they could actually worship something. Metal represented wind, for example." Touma looked to Shuu's face, a smile playing across his features. "The Kongo linked wood with the earth from whence it came."

Shuu's face looked blank for several moments. To emphasize his point, Touma knocked onto the railing they were sharing. Understanding started to cross the large Logan’s face as a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"You mean I might be able to manipulate wood?"

"You may have the same difficulties that Seiji has with sound, but it's worth a shot isn't it?"

Shuu smiled. "Especially if I can then repair this leaking sieve of a ship! I gotta find Shin. He can point out where I can start practicing."

* * *

Shin walked above deck, rather bewildered after Shuu had dragged him all over the ship asking where all the leaks were. His childhood friend seemed to have thought that his maho could fix the wood for some reason he couldn't really explain very well to Shin. Shuu had been like a mini earthquake that suddenly interrupted Shin's day and left him wondering what had just happened. Still feeling dazed after his friend's attack of optimism, the quiet monk-sir sat at the bow, leaning his back against the railing, closed his eyes and let the sun shine down on him. Normally, this was a habit that Seiji enjoyed, but Shin didn't mind letting the sun warm and energize him.

He let out a long sigh, trying to gain his wits about him. Absently he noticed that the shields he had erected against the leaks were becoming useless as whatever Shuu was doing was starting to work. Unfortunately, there were too many leaks for the large Lugan to deal with in one day.

Finally feeling calm again, Shin opened his eyes looked around. As usual, the crew was running around the ship, doing this and that in order to keep the boat afloat and help it go upriver. The redheaded first mate that Shin felt was so familiar was barking orders, though he looked a little green. So did Touma who was leaning by the rail.

A thought occurred to Shin.

Closing his eyes, Shin focused on his maho and looked to the seasick sovereign-to-be. His normally deep blue aura was faded, and tinted with a shade of unhealthy brown, though it was hardly life-threatening. His mother had been an ugly muddy color when he had tried to help her illness. Touma, by contrast was merely tinted, and uncomfortable.

Shin looked to the familiar first mate. His eyebrows rose of their own volition. The first mate had a bright yellow aura, also tinted in a seasick brown. The yellow itself was as bright as Seiji's golden hair and as looked as strong as Shuu's aura. Shin couldn't help but wonder if the first mate had maho. Then the priest-sir realized why he looked so familiar. _Shuten!_ Looking around the ship, he saw the bright colors of his associates, as well as a bright lavender below deck near where the captain's quarters would be. _The illusionist!_

Shin immediately released his maho and looked again to the first mate. The face was different, but it was certainly the Kitsune that had tried them and put them in jail in Hashiba. The monk folded his arms and considered this new information. The Masho had been following them ever since Hashiba. Since gaining his maho, he had felt it. In fact, Shuten's energy was also part of what made the first mate so familiar. However, no attack had been made. Merely the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. The Masho had done nothing wrong yet. Nothing that warranted Shin to act upon his first instinct and attack both of them and throw them off the ship.

That wouldn't be fair to them.

_I hate it when you're right,_ came a soft voice.

_Touma?_

_You've been broadcasting as soon as you realized who you were looking at._ Touma sat down by the thoughtful monk-sir. "So would you mind quieting down?"

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," the Hashiban prince stated. "Now why were you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"You didn't even realize what you looked like, did you?" Touma ran his hand through Shin's hair in a teasing manner. "I had to bring in quite a gust of wind in order to keep the crew occupied."

"Huh?"

"I felt you looking at me. I guess we're getting better at sensing each other. But you were also looking at me with rather blank eyes and you appeared to be glowing a soft blue."

_It wasn't necessary to distract the sailors,_ Ryo's voice calmly stated. _Shin's glow is only visible by those who possess maho._

"In any case," Touma continued, "why were you looking at me?"

"I wanted to try something," Shin answered. "I can heal illnesses, like when I helped with my mother. I wanted to see if I could do anything with your seasickness. But I wanted to see if the coloring was the same on you as it was with my mother."

"Coloring?"

_It's something only those with a healer's touch can see,_ Seiji's soft voice intoned. _It is something that has been passed down by both Korin and Yami for generations. When a true healer is born, they can see the color of sickness on people. I see the color in chi. Shin sees the color in auras._

"Come to think of it," Shin replied, "we have two other maho users on board beyond the five of us. Shuten looked seasick, similar to Touma. But there was a bright purple that I saw as well."

_The illusionist,_ Ryo supplied.

"However, that purple is very tainted. The illusionist is quite sick."

_That's not good,_ the disciple murmured.

_That would work to our favor,_ Shuu interjected. _We have the advantage of five compared to two sick Masho._

"Shuu," Shin scolded, trying to keep his voice down. "They haven't done anything wrong! Would you punish someone simply for what they might do in the future?"

_That Kitsune put us in jail, did you forget? And the illusionist helped._

"Can you prove that these two are wanted by the Hashiban crown?"

Shuu didn't reply.

"Besides," Shin muttered, "as a priest, I have to try to help people, no matter who they are. If the illusionist is sick, I might be able to help him."

_Not without me there,_ Seiji firmly stated. _Just in case something goes wrong._

"But before you do," Touma added, "could you help my seasickness?"

Shin chuckled. "I'll see if I can figure out how to help."

"Figure out? You've done this before, though. With your mother?"

"Instinct in a dire situation is vastly different from consistent practical application."

Touma groaned.

* * *

It had taken almost two days of attempts for Shin to figure out how to get rid of Touma's seasickness. The poor Hashiban prince was a guinea pig as the Kaosan priest tried to determine how he was to manipulate the water in the human body to get rid of the sickness. Some of the results left Touma bedridden for a few hours before a new attempt was made. However, Shin got the hang of how to work with the body and purify it.

Seiji was rather proud of the priest. When they had first met, the Korin had the impression that the monk-sir was extremely naïve, and thus, useless. However that first impression had proven to be as far from the truth as possible. Shin's good heart and gentle ways helped keep the team from butting heads, particularly when Shuu or Ryo were stubborn on something.

So Seiji wasn't about to let anything happen to any of his friends. Thus, he accompanied Shin below decks to the captain's cabin. As Shin had stated, there was indeed a maho user on the other side of the door. Seiji could sense it now. There was a certain level of shielding around the illusionist. Now that he recognized it, he could feel it around the Kitsune as well. It probably had to do with the illusions he was casting. Shin was also correct about the Masho in question being quite sick. The negative chi was fighting the positive chi quite well, though neither side was losing. Seiji looked in his bag of herbs again.

While he had to admit certain misgivings about helping the Masho, Shin had calmly pointed out that by helping them, perhaps they might switch to the side of Kaosu someday. Seiji had to agree that he'd rather not fight if he didn't have to.

Shin reached out to knock on the door when a thunder of footsteps came down the stairs.

"Yo," Shuu greeted, leaning on his staff. "I'll wait out here."

Shin's shoulder's slumped and Seiji's ears twitched. Shin knocked on the door.

"Who's there?"

"Captain, it's me, Shin-sir. I haven't seen you since the voyage started and I was getting concerned. My friend knows a lot about healing, so. . ." he let the sentence hang.

There was a long pause. Obviously, the illusionist was considering his options.

"Come in," was the reply.

Seiji's ears raised as he entered the room. Before them was a white haired man with a patch over an eye, no more than a few years older than themselves. There was maho around him, so the form was probably a disguise.

"As you can see," the man said, "I'm just a bit under the weather. Nothing to worry about." He sat up and swung his legs over. With strength not really befitting someone so sick, he got up and walked over to a chair, sitting down by the small table in the room.

"Tut, tut," Shin lightly scolded. "You know better than to lie to a Kaosan priest, do you not?"

The illusionist turned sharply toward Shin. "I've heard rumors," he started slowly, "of how monks can read the truth."

"Yes, we can," Shin replied. Seiji raised an eyebrow. Where was this going?

"Now then, captain, what's your name?" Shin continued; a gentle smile on his face. "I don't think I've met you before. You obviously know me, though, since you agreed to take me and my friends on this voyage." The young monk-sir stared intently at the illusionist, though not openly.

"Nimishigami," the one-eyed man replied.

"No, I don't think so," Shin replied. "I've already told you that you can't lie to me."

Seiji smiled. Somehow, Shin could still truth read, despite the illusionist's maho. They'd finally have a name for one of the Masho.

"Rajura."

Seiji placed his hands on Rajura's forehead, feeling that the name was familiar. Ryo might have mentioned the names of the Masho previously and in passing. "Rajura, huh?" Shin continued. "That's from Yang Shi, correct?" The illusionist didn't answer as the young light maho user looked into his eye. "I know a few people from Yang Shi. A few of them were Gen as well. The Gen were rather good at hiding themselves, but as a monk-sir, I can usually spot them quite easily."

Seiji wanted to chuckle, despite himself. If anyone were to walk in, it would appear that Shin was simply making small talk. But the meaning was so much more.

"I've also been to Hashiba. I met a very interesting Kitsune there. He was very fond of cards. He made a terrible seaman though."

"Did he?" Rajura asked.

Seiji stopped listening at this point, focusing on his maho. He barely whispered his phrase and observed the illusionist's chi. The sickness was complicated, and not caused by physical injury. He couldn't do anything with his maho. So he looked to his herbs.

_I'm doing what I can,_ Shin murmured in Seiji's head, _but it's tricky. I don't know what's causing this, but my maho is having difficulty with it. It would take concentration and he'd just take the opportunity to do something._

Seiji didn't reply, instead pulling out herbs from his bag. He turned to Rajura.

"I recommend you take these herbs once a day. When we get to the next port, I would recommend getting more. They will ease the nausea."

Rajura looked at the herbs in Seiji's outstretched hand. "Why should I trust you?"

"As I stated," Shin replied. "I am a monk-sir. It is my duty to aid those in need, no matter who they are."

Seiji left the herbs on the table and the two left.

Shuu immediately grabbed Shin's neck and rubbed his knuckles into the priest's hair. Seiji was immensely glad that the large Lugan didn't try to do that to him.

"I'm so proud of you," he stated, walking with them back to their cabin.

"Perhaps," Seiji agreed, "you have planted to seed of Kaosu in them."

* * *

Anubisu let out a long sigh, staring at the setting sun. Ever since he had succumbed to the heat, his Doko partner had insisted that he only go out at night. Granted, Anubisu didn't mind the night; in fact, he preferred that time of day. But the problem stemmed more from the annoyance that he couldn't go out during the day to help the snake. He'd be loath to admit it to anyone, even himself, but he was friends with the half-breed. Curse it; he was worried about his friend! Dokos were treated even worse than an average Sthissian. Particularly here in Suiss, the capital of not only the jungle country, but also the high Kamek's home. If Naaza so much as looked cross-eyed at a priest at the wrong moment, he would be history. His maho may protect him, but it would mean that everyone would know who was setting up the rumors for when the cursed Troopers would arrive.

The Yami elf ran a hand through his sweat-matted hair, wishing he had something to drink. Naaza's terse explanation of how Anubisu's health was affected in the jungle had unfortunately put a few things in perspective. Naaza wasn't holding the Yami here against his will. No, Anubisu was doing just fine of keeping himself in the shab of a room they shared because he didn't want to suffer through half of what the cursed Doko had described. That left many hours in the day to worry.

At least at night they could both go out and stir up trouble for the corrupted priesthood that resided there. That was little condolence, though.

The door to their room opened and Anubisu whirled around, sword already in hand.

"Clean water," Naaza offered a canteen. "Drink it."

Anubisu sheathed his sword and accepted the sloshing container. Clean water. An abnormality for Sthiss, seeing how both the natives and the monks were very fond of poisoning. The natural venoms in the surrounding jungle didn't help much. It must have been murder to get. Anubisu took a long gulp of the warm liquid. Already, he could feel his temperature start to drop as the hydration worked its way into his body.

Corking the canteen, Anubisu muttered a thank you.

"It was nothing," Naaza replied, stretching out on his cot.

That was a lie, but the Yami didn't say anything about it. Instead, he flatly stated, "You're exhausted."

"Can't be helped."

Anubisu was unwillingly twitched. Naaza always had a bad habit of not explaining anything when he was tired.

"Why can't it be helped?"

"With all the rumors I've been spreading, the monks are on guard. Since they can't find a valid source, they're trying to squash it in the streets."

Anubisu raised an eyebrow. That meant that if a monk heard anyone talking about Naaza's rumor in the streets, measures would be taken right then and there to prevent the rumor from spreading, as well as reestablishing who was the authority in the rat hole of a city.

"How are the Sthissians taking it?" the Yami asked, fingering his scar.

"Depends," Naaza mumbled. "The Fang are too busy squabbling over who in the temple would be crazy enough to try it. The Cobra are stuck trying to find out if it's even true. The Rattlers are having internal situations over who should deal with this. The Diamondbacks are following the monk-sirs example and taking anyone who's discussing it in the street to their own private interrogation center. The Pythons are bickering with the Fork-Tongues over who should lead a joint effort to stamp this out, and the Snake's Eye is trying to infiltrate the Kamek's palace to see they can do anything. Any of the other factions aren't worth looking into."

Anubisu blinked. "There's _that_ many?"

Naaza laughed ruefully. "Haven't you ever wondered why Sthissians never win against the humans?" His hissing laugh quickly died as he sank further into his cot.

Well that explained why Naaza was so exhausted. He was not only spreading rumors, but he was also staying under the notice of the humans as well as all the Sthissian factions, while at the same time figuring out how much all assorted parties knew. He was pushing himself. In a few hours, he'd be up and out again, this time with Anubisu, continuing the work to both overthrow the Kamek and trap the Troopers.

"Sleep."

Naaza raised a hairless eyebrow and glanced over at the Yami.

"You won't be any good in the state you're in," Anubisu spat. "Take a day to rest. I'll take care of the rest. And drink some clean water yourself. You need it more than me right now." He tossed over the canteen.

The tired Doko lazily caught it and took a long drink, confirming Anubisu's suspicions. The snake had been so focused on his mission that he was ignoring his own needs.

"I'll be fine. Besides, you don't know your way around Suiss," Naaza retorted, tossing back the water bottle. "I'll join you tonight."

"I know enough of my way to be more help in taking down this human infested city than you are right now."

In defiance Naaza sat up. "I resent that, Yami. I can pull my own weight."

"Yes you can," Anubisu replied, "except when you're exhausted. You need sleep."

"I can do it."

Anubisu let out a long sigh. He didn't want to shatter the fragile relationship he would never let himself call a friendship that he and the snake had begun. But he didn't see a way to get the snake to admit how poor off he was.

"Alright," he replied, eyeing Naaza carefully. "If you can pull the earring from my half ear, come with me. If not, admit that you're too exhausted and sleep tonight."

Naaza gauged the situation. Anubisu could see through every tired movement and easily dodged when the Doko lunged forward. Not one to be easily denied, Naaza tried several times, each resulting in him empty-handed.

"Sleep. I'll take care of things tonight."

"I can handle it!" the snake hissed.

"Can't you just trust me to do this?" Anubisu shouted. "You're in no shape to go out tonight, let alone tomorrow. I can do the work; you just shut up and rest! You're no use to me like this!"

Naaza hesitated, something in Anubisu's words getting through his sleep-stubborn mind. A pregnant silence hung between them for several minutes. Finally, Naaza fell into his cot. "Fine. But if you mess up, I'll have to fix your mistakes tomorrow."

Anubisu let out a long sigh. Once the snake was asleep, he wouldn't wake up for at least a day. He packed his sword and a different canteen of water. The sun had set. It was time for darkness to greet the night.

* * *

"Okay," Shuu stated, rolling out maps on the floor of the cabin he and his friends shared. "We're just over a week from Suiss, the capital of Sthiss and we need to start talking about it beyond disguises and maho." It was one of their group meetings that they held at night while Seiji and Touma manipulated the sound so that there were no eavesdroppers.

"What do you mean?" Shin asked, putting down the last of his sewing. "We know 'who' we'll be when we enter the city, what more do we need to discuss? The disguises are almost ready, so are we."

"There's a lot more to preparation than that," the large Lugan stated. They all gathered around the maps. "Sthiss is a volatile country. The slightest spark could set it off. We need to be prepared in case one of the factions decided our arrival might be a good time to try and overthrow the Kamek again."

"Who is the Kamek?" Seiji asked. "Sthissian leadership tends to face large turnovers, so it's hard to keep track of them."

"High Kamek Sarenbo," Touma replied. "He's been one of the longer lasting Kameks. Held the position for almost ten years now, but he's had to have replacements from time to time, making it seem that he hasn't been in charge."

Ryo nodded. "That's typical Sthissian politics. Run everything from behind the scenes."

"In any case, we need to plan out how things are going to work if war breaks out," Shuu retorted. "Now, since I'm a familiar face among the lower-level monks, I'm going to be the 'newly-appointed' lord. I'll be the one giving commands." Shuu grinned evilly. "That should be fun."

Shin's head sunk into his hands.

"We'll be staying in the human half of the city, which is pretty ritzy." Shuu looked up to Ryo. "Where exactly is that hideout you mentioned? This map is more specific than last time."

The red clad disciple looked at the map for a while. "Right about here. This broken down fountain is the only land mark you have, but finding it after that isn't too bad."

"Right," Shuu took out a piece of charcoal and circled several sections of the human half of the city. "This is where all the inns are that will be of the standing we'll be pretending to be. This one," he said, pointing to a section of the city closer to the southern half, "will be our best bet. It's a good distance from the Kamek, so we probably won't have to worry about him. It's also closer to Ryo's little hideaway and I'm familiar with the area."

He put the charcoal to the map again, drawing several lines from the district they'd be staying at to the shack Ryo had pointed out. "These will probably be some good escape routes to use if things get too hot in Suiss." Shuu closed his eyes and concentrated on sending his memories of the area to his friends, as well as the various routes he outlined into the shambled Sthissian half of the city. "I've never actually been to this shack that Ryo mentioned, but the fountain helps."

Shuu rolled up that map and pulled out one of the human section of Sthiss.

"Now the Kamek doesn't call people to him, so I don't think we'll have to worry about that, but something keeps bugging me." Shuu pointed out a few restaurants and temples that were closer to the Kamek's High Temple, but still a good distance away. "Seiji, you and Shin will probably have to frequent these areas to get some information on whatever the political situation is. Ryo can go to the Sthissian half and get their story as well. Touma's my assistant, so he's stuck with me and the 'polite' society. Because we're making a grand show of our entrance, we will have to stay for a few days and talk with some of the important people. Thankfully we won't have to meet the Kamek. . ."

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down!" Touma interrupted. "You're going way to fast!"

"But you understand what I'm saying, don't you?" the Lugan asked.

Ryo put a hand on mercenary's shoulder. "Shuu, my friend, you're not talking to troops. You're talking to people who've never had to fight before. Take it easy on them."

Shuu's face flushed brighter than he would have liked. "Ah, right." After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Shuu hoped that they all absorbed everything he had thrown at them. "I guess you can see why I'm so good in my profession?"

Everyone chuckled. "Yes, Shuu, we can."

"Good. Any questions?"

"Why won't we have to worry about seeing the Kamek?" Seiji asked. "If we're making a show of an entrance, won't he want to see us?"

"No," Shin replied. "The Kamek tends to be a secretive title. Sarenbo, in particular, doesn't like having guests of any sort. If he is obligated to see a visiting dignitary, he usually meets them for a few brief minutes and then lets his underlings do all the work."

"Is he that scared of being attacked?"

"No," Shuu replied. "It's just typical politics. The Kamek has better things to do than deal with other countries. He's too busy with his own."

Touma scoffed. "I'd use some less polite adjectives in that description." He turned his nose up at the subject. "My uncle and I have had to visit Sthiss on occasion and there are rumors that the Kamek is into many things that most priests shun. That's why he usually isn't available."

"Those aren't rumors," Ryo muttered darkly.

Shin looked around confused. "What rumors?"

"It's disgusting," Touma replied. "I don't even want to repeat it."

"You don't even want to imagine it," Ryo agreed.

Shin looked around more confused.

Shuu ruffled his friend's hair, though his face boar no grin. "The Kamek is rumored to be. . .active."

"Monks are allowed to be with a member of the opposite sex," Shin admonished.

"No, Shin," the Lugan replied. "He has his own private harem of little children, most of them Sthissian. He also has his own little playroom, but with instruments you usually see in a dungeon. There are also his experiments on Sthissians and Dokos. Particularly Dokos."

Shin shuddered. "Why does he even wear the cloth? How can he even wear the cloth?"

"Just remember," Shuu responded, "no matter what you see in Sthiss, you have to keep your mouth shut."

"Somehow I think that's going to be harder than I thought."

* * *

Shuten sat down in the ship's galley exhausted and sick of being seasick. He needed a break and none of the crew would play cards with him. They had already lost a good portion of their money to him. Rajura was in no condition to do anything, leaving the Kitsune to try and figure out how to run a ship without any sailor to guide him and without a card partner. It had been a blaze of a trip, and Shuten was looking forward to finally getting his feet on firm ground. Even if that firm ground was Sthiss.

"How are you, Kouma?"

Shuten bristled, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end against his will. He looked up to see the tiger-blue eyes of Ryo looking across from him. His enemy had taken the seat across from him and was putting down a plate of food in front of him.

"You don't look like you've eaten. Try some. You should be able to hold it better than some of the other stuff being offered."

The Kitsune's eye twitched as he looked back down to see a glass of milk and some sort of milk-based soup.

"It's been my experience that milk helps calm an upset stomach, so this should help."

Shuten looked back up to the ancient Trooper, fury barely restrained.

"How do I know it's not poisoned?" he asked, a vein pulsing under his thick bangs.

"You don't. You can find milk from somewhere else onboard. I just thought I'd save you the trouble."

This arrogant whelp was trying to help him? Granted, Shuten had been grudgingly gaining respect for his enemies, but he wasn't about to take anything they said at face value or even trust them.

"How is Rajura?"

"Ask him yourself."

The smoke-haired ancient youth in front of him actually laughed. He dared to laugh at Shuten? The Kitsune's pride swelled into more anger and he gritted his teeth.

"I'm sorry," Ryo replied, scratching his temple, "but I already tried. He wouldn't let me into the captain's cabin."

"Haven't your associates informed you?" Shuten asked, a broad smile on his face. "Or were you uninformed of the little scare tactic they pulled on that Gen? Forcing their way into his room and blackmailing him to admit he was actually the enemy? Then leaving some sort of poisonous herbs behind?" He scoffed, spreading his hands in a dismissive manner. "But then, the great Sanada Ryo of legends would surely know what his companions are up to. Maybe they were instructed by him to do such. In any case, it's not my business to inform the uninformed or educate the uneducated."

"You know that's not what happened," the disciple replied quietly. "Shin and Seiji did what they could to clear up Rajura's illness. They just couldn't do it since it wasn't in either of their fields."

Shuten twitched. What the young looking old man said made sense. The Gen had felt strong enough after the visit to come above deck and let the crew know that there was captain around. Evidently the monk-sir had been right about what he said about trying to help. That just complicated matters further than what they were. Oh how Shuten wished for when he simply hated the crown of Hashiba and didn't have to worry about the three idiots he had to work with. No, instead he had to realize that the only way for Arago-sama to win was to work together. Things had just puzzled around him since then, complicating things.

Still, Rajura was getting sick again, but thankfully there were only a few days from Suiss. Maybe there the Doko could do something. Maybe even the dark long-ear. It seemed that long-ears were good at knowing what to use for healing. Right now Shuten wished that he was a full-blooded Kitsune instead of merely having the blood of some distant ancestor. Kitsune were very good at tricking people and he wished for nothing more than to trick this smiling old geezer in front of him.

"You know," Ryo said, getting up from the table. "Help is always available from someone nearby. You just have to ask."

And what was that supposed to mean? That he was supposed to ask the enemy for help? Please. He'd rather eat his own heart than have a civilized conversation with an enemy. It didn't occur to Shuten, however, that a civilized conversation was what he had just had.

"Do your father proud."

* * *

Shuu was rocked out of his hammock in the wee hours of the morning by a thunderous sound. He landed on the person in the hammock beneath him and then rolled to land flat on his back on the floor with the hammock's inhabitant landing on top of him. Similar sounds of falling and grunting was heard from elsewhere in the room.

"What the curses happened?" came the angry shout of Touma somewhere to Shuu's side.

"Oh no," Shin muttered by Touma's voice. "The hull's finally got a leak. A very large one."

"How?" Seiji grumbled, trying to disentangle himself from Shuu.

"The water feels like there's something floating. I think we hit some sort of debris the lookout didn't see."

Shuu stood up; finally able to see when a flame came to Ryo's hand from where he lay on the floor. He could already hear the crew topside starting to panic. He grabbed his Lugan hardwood staff and twirled it.

"Okay everyone," he stated, helping up his shaken friends. "Shin, you and I are going to find the leak and try to plug it. Ryo, you and Touma go topside and try to calm down the crew. Seiji, I want you to take the lookout's position. I think you've got better eyesight than anyone here."

"Why would I need to be on the lookout?" the Korin elf asked.

"Because if there's some debris," Shuu replied, "there might be more. If a ship was attacked, it might have debris floating around and we don't want any more."

"Right."

"Ryo, Touma," the Lugan continued, "try not to use your blades on the crew. Right now they're just scared."

"Shuu," Touma admonished, "I think we can handle calming people down. Ryo's had several lifetimes of experience, and I _have_ been trained to lead."

Shuu chuckled briefly before heading to the door. The others behind him hurried to finish getting some more clothes on and grab a few weapons, just in case.

Seiji and the others headed above deck. Shin led Shuu further below.

"You're certainly good at giving out orders," Shin commented, leading them into the cargo hold.

"I've led more troops than most people my age have. People are pretty good at following my orders, mostly because of my reputation, and natural talent with strategies."

"I would have thought Ryo would be the one barking out orders."

Shuu chuckled. "He would have. I just beat him too it." They sloshed through the hold, heading for the spray of water that pelted in.

"Cho Ryu Ha."

The spray of water pushed back to the hole and as Shuu approached, he noticed that there was now an air bubble around the offending hole. The horses by the hole were spooked and making a lot of noise, as well as trying to get out of their pens.

The hole was bigger than the small ones Shuu had been repairing over the past two weeks. Thankfully it appeared that most of the wood was still there. He pulled of his gloves, tucked them in his belt and set his staff to the side. It was going to take a lot of concentration.

"Shin, could you get Ryo to calm the horses, I need quiet."

Without waiting for a reply, Shuu placed his bare hands on the splintered wood and pushed the protruding pieces back to what their original shape would be.

"Gen Ta Sai!" he intoned, focusing on the wood. It was tricky. When Shuu had been working with the previous leaks, he learned that he needed physical contact. That was why he had taken off his gloves. However, small holes just required shifting a few splinters of wood and reinforcing it. This was quite a bit different. The simple shifting just wouldn't work this time. He had to actually reconnect the shards of wood and find some way of enforcing it so that it wouldn't weaken the wood. It was slightly beyond him.

Somewhere, deep inside of Shuu, a small voice roared. In his mind, he saw a human-like lion that was the Kongo of his ancestry. It spoke in a language that the Lugan had never heard of, but somehow understood. The reason why he had a measure of control over wood was because of what his ancestors believed and worshiped. He was a Kongo. He had pride in who he was. He was strong.

Several things clicked in Shuu's mind. Forcing the wood together wouldn't do anything other than weaken the wood. He needed to make the wood grow back together.

"Gen Ta Sai!" he shouted, vaguely aware that he was getting tired. The wood seemed to come alive in his hands as it grew back together and knitted the hole shut, reinforcing it with dense layers so that an offensive leak would never happen again.

Shuu slumped back down, breathing heavily. Working with wood was definitely _not_ easy. The concepts might be simple, but it wasn't the same as working directly with the earth he walked on. He'd take using his maho on stone and sand any day.

"Are you alright?" Seiji asked. Shuu jumped, surprised to see all his friends there. "Are you alright?" Seiji repeated. "Your chi changed while you were doing that. What happened?"

"Well, Touma mentioned that the Kongo connected wood with the earth, so since I'm part Kongo, I can work with it to small degree. Kinda like how you work with sound. It's more difficult, but I can do it." Shuu took a deep breath, wanting to go back to the hammock. "Speaking of Kongo, I saw one while I was working with my maho. The old cat helped me see how to put the wood back together."

Ryo nodded. "The Kongo were strong believers that their blood could carry wisdom to future generations. You probably saw an ancestor of yours. I didn't know that the Kongo belief was actually real." Ryo offered a warm smile. "You could probably sit down with yourself in meditation and talk with your ancestors in that case. It'd be pretty interesting."

Shuu chuckled. "I'm not that good at meditation. Maybe after this quest of ours is over."

Shin and Touma helped Shuu up so that he could sleep for the rest of the day.

"Hey," Shuu asked, turning to Seiji. "I thought you were on the lookout station?"

"I was," the Korin replied, a smile on his lips. "I had a long conversation with the previous lookout on how to spot things in the dark. When the sun came up, I told him that the daylight might give him some good practice."


	19. Sthiss 18

It was cloudy when they first saw the city of Suiss. Rain spotted the decks, and the sun had yet to raise high enough to burn off the low-lying fog. Suiss seemed to melt out of the fog, showing at first only a mountain of tall trees. The exotic leaves and thin trunks could not be made out from the ships distance, but multiple shades of green could. The next thing to be seen was the white sandstone and plaster of what Shuu had called "Upper Suiss". The human half of the city held buildings that raised several delicate stories, displaying the wealthy glass windows and painted roof tiles. More familiar and more northern trees peeked out next, clearly in the boundaries of Upper Suiss; most likely meant to make the humans feel more at home.

As the sun rose higher, still more of the human part of the city showed, and one could not help but awe at the sheer display of wealth.

The docks, too, were beginning to be seen. They ranged from stone piers well anchored in the River Kaosu, to shabby collections of wood that looked as though they were thrown together. The shore was littered in garbage and mud, and people of wild hair colors and what looked to be darker skin scampered about. The Sthissians were completely ignoring the ship as it docked, too consumed with their own lives, such as they were. The docks were part of Lower Suiss, and it was clear where the balance of power changed. Lower Suiss consisted of shacks, roughly made from dried clay or mud, with awkwardly thatched roofs. The exotic trees of the jungle behind the city also grew here, providing several square feet of shade where business was done. Traders and merchants of all sorts gathered there to do their business.

Seiji watched, with Shin next to him. The pair had never been in the jungle country of Sthiss, but both had heard of their backward culture. Now, as they watched the Sthissians try to work and get by as the humans kicked them aside and beat them without a second thought, they saw just what was meant with the term "backward."

There was a high screech, and the pair looked up to see Touma's hawk swoop in low and land gracefully on the rail of the ship, not far from where they were standing. She squawked and chirped; her eyes and head jerking this way and that in search for her favorite perch.

"Hey, girl!" Seiji turned to see Touma, now fully dressed as a Lugan secretary and assistant. He all but ran over to the bird, which happily closed the distance and landed on his shoulder. She chirped and he cooed; both glad to see the other.

"I suppose this means we should head below and change," Seiji suggested. Shin glanced back over to the city, his face a jumbled set of emotions.

"Seiji," he said finally as they entered their small cabin. "This is going to be hard."

The Korin elf nodded as he sloshed water into a basin and started washing up. He would be glad for when he could take a full bath, but it was rumored the waters of Sthiss were poison. He would wait until he was sure it was safe. Rubbing a cloth over his pale features he answered his friend.

"We all knew that this would be hard. The two of us in particular are not accustomed to this… visible display of the lack of honor."

"Some of those people are wearing the cloth," Shin said. Seiji kept his back turned as the monk-sir dressed. "They're going against every Kaosan principle, every rule, that was ever taught them."

"And we will probably see worse when we disembark," Seiji said sadly. "This was why you wanted to be a character that would have no reason to speak and to keep your mouth shut. You said it yourself; if you witnessed such acts you would not be able to speak appropriately."

"I'm wondering now, though, if I can even keep my tongue to myself at all. It's safe." Seiji turned to see a transformed Shin. The elf was used to the Kaosan blues on the young man; the colors seemed to suit him. Now he was dressed in the simple cottons of a servant; well-dressed but obviously of lower stature. Seiji blinked.

"This goes against everything I believe in," Shin continued, his face distraught. "I've been trained to correct the errors made by fellow priests, to show them when something is being done against the will of Kaosu. We act as a universal check to each other. If something monumental is done wrong, then we are brought up against the high priests in Peace. But Seiji, ALL of those… those… sirs out there are committing monumental wrongs!"

To see the gentle and mothering Shin use the derogatory term 'sir' meant that he indeed felt very strongly about what he said. Seiji took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully.

"I believe that you can do this." Shin opened his mouth to protest but Seiji held up his hand. "Think of this as a test. After meeting Kaosu-sama, I would not put it past him. Or Arago-dono, or Kayura-sama. Besides, Ryo at least will always be near you, and I will be around you as much as I can. We do have our thought communication, if you must voice something, you may do so there. Shin, you have four other people who are just as appalled at this as you. You have backup, if you need it."

Shin looked at his blond friend and smiled. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."

Seiji looked down, suddenly embarrassed. "It was nothing," he said slowly.

Shin laughed. "It was everything. You know, when you talk you can say some very nice things. I remember your talk with your sister Yayoi-san. It was very moving. You'd make a good public speaker."

Seiji felt his cheeks redden. "I am not used to such kind words."

This caused Shin to laugh again. "Even after being around the four of us for so long? I'll have to compliment you more when this is all over."

The prospect of such teasing made Seiji blush even more, but then both of them laughed and headed above decks.

The others were already there. Touma was trying and failing to explain to his hawk why she had to ride on the elaborately dressed Shuu's shoulder. The hawk screeched in outrage and emphasized her point by digging her claws into the wayward prince's shoulder. He yelped, and looked helplessly to Shuu and the Sthissthian form of Ryo.

_It's okay,_ Shuu's voice said in their heads. _I can work around it, if she's so adamant._

_Believe me,_ Touma responded. _She--ow!--is._

As the five prepared to disembark, Seiji glanced over and saw the redheaded first mate, Shuten, watching them from the captain's cabin.

_He knows our disguise._

Ryo nodded.

Shuu opened his mouth ever so slightly. "So long as we don't meet the high Kamek, we're fine."

Seiji blinked, shocked that the mercenary could talk with so little movement of his lips.

_Here we go,_ Shuu said quickly. Then he spoke. "Alright, where in Kayura's name are our horses? I thought I told you to go get them, Sana!" Shuu pushed Ryo, obviously now named Sana, and looked haughty doing so. Seiji marveled at the mercenary's ability to act. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get going!"

"Yes! Yes! Right away!" Ryo gave a mental smile and scampered below decks.

"And you, Hashi," Shuu said, swiveling over to Touma. "How come MY hawk likes YOU so much?"

"I-I don't know," Touma replied, surprised at the sudden change of character.

"Well fine! If you're so attached to it than you can take care of it!" Shuu humphed and crossed his arms. "What the first item on our agenda, anyway?"

Touma fumbled, still surprised, and pulled out a piece of parchment. "Well, we first have to find the inn…"

"Date," Shuu commanded, looking at Seiji. "That's your job."

Seiji let himself bristle. "I do not take orders, Fuan-san."

"The curses you don't!" Shuu yelled. Ryo came above decks with the horses. "Look, Date, I get that you've got this fancy honor system dung and all that, but so long as you're with me, you acknowledge that I'm in charge."

"I am loyal only to your office, Fuan-san. If you misbehave, I will inform the Leader of Luga, and be safely escorted back to the Korin Forest, where I belong."

"If you live long enough to make there," Shuu said in a low voice. Then he saw the horses. "Sana, what took you so long?" He swatted Ryo away and quickly mounted. The charger's ears went this way and that, clearly wanting off the ship.

"Well?" he asked. "What are you waiting for? Let's find that cursed inn."

And they were off.

* * *

Anubisu and Naaza waited at the agreed meeting place for Shuten and Rajura. The pair was, of course, late. Naaza sat, filing through his assortment of poisons and potions. Anubisu paced, wondering why the snake had brought his collection. The dark elf's hands twitched reflectively as he waited impatiently for the two to arrive.

"If you're going to pace, pace somewhere else," Naaza stated offhandedly. "You're driving me crazy."

Anubisu scoffed. "You're used to waiting. I'm not."

"Not by choice," Naaza said indifferently. He opened up an odd shaped jar and sniffed its contents. Satisfied, he recapped it and placed it down, repeating the process with another jar.

"What are you doing, anyway?" he asked finally.

There was a pause in conversation as a Sthissian woman and a goat walked by. They stopped by the well and began pulling up buckets of its water. The woman gave the bucket to the goat, which bayed in a high pitch and drank the water gratefully.

When they left, Naaza answered. "I need to make sure everything is fresh."

"Fresh for what?"

"Fresh for him."

Anubisu whirled around to see Shuten CARRYING Rajura. The white haired Gen looked as pale as a Korin, and his breathing was the ragged pace of one with a fever.

"Kaosu! He's heavy," Shuten murmured as he set the sick man down.

"Not there, gambler," Naaza said in a business like tone. "Here in the shade. Do you want him to get sunstroke as well?"

Shuten made a rude gesture before dragging Rajura into the shade with the Doko. Anubisu knelt down by the sick man, his elfin instincts kicking in as he laid a tentative hand on his forehead. Rajura's chi was weak, and the sickness was starting to spread.

"He's in a bad way. It's a miracle he made the trip."

"I know," Naaza replied. Anubisu began to wonder just when the Doko was informed of Rajura's illness. "What happened?" he continued, unaware of the dark elf's scrutiny.

"Why would you care?" Shuten asked, rolling his eyes.

"It'll help in the diagnosis."

Shuten muttered something under his breath, but explained. "The head of the seaman's guild in Peace had a very pretty woman. Let's just say that certain people got very jealous of the man's possession of her."

Naaza looked up, his face irritated. "What does that have to do with anything?" he demanded.

"Oh, I forgot. I'm dealing with someone who doesn't know the north is cold and that Gen are impersonators. Rajura was parading around as the seaman, stupid; and some jealous little conniver decided to poison the seaman, which meant he poisoned Rajura. Is that too multi-syllabic for you?"

Naaza's nostril flared, and the snake stood up, ready to give his opinion. Anubisu, seeing that this was going to lead to a fistfight and knowing that no one had the time for it, cut Naaza to the punch. Literally. Ramming the hilt of his sword into Shuten's stomach, the dark elf succeeded in knocking the wind out of the gambling Kitsune. As he struggled for breath, Anubisu slung him over his shoulder and turned to the shocked Doko.

"I'll get what you need in a minute," he said cryptically before carrying Shuten away from Naaza. The snake blinked momentarily before looking down at Rajura and getting back to work.

Anubisu did not go far. He went to the well the Sthissian woman had led her goat and flopped the sputtering Shuten down. The dark elf worked the well and it was not long before he had a bucket of muddy water, to which he promptly added Shuten's head.

"What in the name of the three gods--" Shuten started once his breath was back.

Anubisu ignored him and sat down in the shade of the well. It was getting too hot for him, and he had learned his lesson about the heat already. Shuten sputtered a few more choice words, but stopped when he realized it wasn't getting him anywhere. Fed up, the Kitsune sat down with the elf. Anubisu stole a glance at Naaza as he treated Rajura. The snake saw this and motioned for him to get off his butt and do what he said he would.

Taking a breath, Anubisu said, "He meant how did that Gen get poisoned."

Shuten paused from his fuming. "What?"

"Naaza wanted to know how he got poisoned, not why he got poisoned. It helps in narrowing down what the poison was."

"… Oh." There was a long pause as the information sunk in. "We're not entirely sure. The night before we were playing cards; loser bought the drinks."

Anubisu sighed, relaying the information to Naaza mentally. "And of course he was the one buying the drinks," he summed up. "And you didn't have a drop."

"No."

"And you wonder why no one will play with you."

"Shut up."

"Why?" Anubisu asked. "Starting to feel guilty? Well, there's a first time for everything."

"Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about."

"The curses I don't," Anubisu spat. He fought to keep his control under the heat.

Shuten smartly kept his mouth shut, and the pair just sat there in the shade. Naaza worked his wonder, mixing and crunching and adding things as he went. Finally, he motioned Anubisu for the bucket of water. Nodding, Anubisu got up and emptied the bucket, refilling it with the marginally cooler water of the well. He carried it back to Naaza.

The snake took a very small cup and sprinkled the odd mixture into the bucket. He stirred liberally before taking out a larger clay cup and dunking it into the potion. With a gentleness that surprised Anubisu, he lifted Rajura's head and coxed the sick man to drink the liquid. His tight breathing slowed, and some color started to return to his cheeks.

Shuten walked over, finally, and breathed an audible sigh of relief to see the Gen in better shape. Both Anubisu and Naaza raised eyebrows, wondering when it was that Shuten was to open with his feelings, negative or otherwise. He saw the two staring and took a deep breath. His mouth opened and closed several times, as if he were trying to say something. Finally, he churned them out.

"Thank you."

Naaza spat on the ground in front of the Kitsune. "Kaosu take your false gratitude and shove it somewhere." Gingerly, he picked up the Gen and stormed off, muttering unrepeatable things under his breath and leaving Anubisu and Shuten on their own.

"Gods curse it," Shuten murmured. "Here I give and honest thank you and he throws it in my face. I don't know why I ever bother…" his voice trailed off before he could continue the thought.

Anubisu felt the need to correct the Kitsune in defense of his frie-- the Doko. "Funny how, after who knows how many years of false gratitude and manipulation, one does not recognize the real thing. That is, of course, assuming it was the real thing."

"Of course it was!" Shuten shouted, shocked to be defending himself.

"How would he know? Or I? Or the Gen?" Anubisu asked. "You're always hiding behind that deck of cards and the liquor you have others drink. You of all people should know that it's hard to read a good poker face, and you've perfected the art. What makes you think suddenly, out of nowhere, being open and honest is going to get you anything? All it does is make people even more suspicious of you."

"So, what?" Shuten demanded, a vein popping on his forehead. "I should go back to the poker face, load the dice again? Would that make you more comfortable?"

Anubisu's eyes hardened, his hand gripping his sword. Shuten took an involuntary step back, not expecting such a winter-cold response.

"This isn't about comfort," Anubisu said slowly, his voice ice on sand. "If it were, then we wouldn't be anywhere near you two humans. This is about you suddenly deciding that now it's convenient to think of us as your equals and not as your inferiors. Well, we don't buy it. Nobody changes overnight. You've got something up those sticky sleeves of yours. You want something from us. Well, we don't feel that charitable. Think about that the next time you feel lofty enough to bestow you're precious 'gratitude' on either of us."

Shuten blinked. He had never heard such a long string of words come out of the dark elf's mouth. Struck dumb, he could only follow Anubisu at a respectful distance as they went to wherever the Doko and Yami had decided to set up headquarters.

* * *

Rajura woke up slowly, his mind foggy. He found himself on a cot, and that stuck him as strange, as the captain's quarters had an out and out bed.

He sat up, rubbing his eye and trying to get his brain functioning again. Running sluggish hands through his long hair, he looked around to see that he was no longer in the captain's cabin. He had been moved? Where? Had they docked?

"Don't even think about getting up."

Rajura turned tired eyes to see the Doko staring at him. He was sitting in a cot opposite a small room. It was round and no larger than those huts a Sthissian might live in. Oh. It all clicked together in Rajura's mind as it finally began to wake up.

"Have I missed much?"

Naaza snorted. The Doko tossed a canteen to Rajura.

"Clean water. You don't get a lot of it around here, so drink up."

"Why?"

"You don't have all that much water in you. You need it."

It made sense that Rajura was dehydrated. He barely ate anything and kept it down on the voyage. He tasted it carefully, and then chugged the rest of it as he realized just how thirsty he was. Actually, the one eyed Gen was feeling much better than he had in weeks.

"You healed me?" he asked tentatively. The Yami and the Doko in particular took offense to the slightest of things.

"Maybe."

Rajura tossed the canteen back. "I guess I owe you a thank you."

"Spare me your false gratitude."

Rajura bit back a witty reply. Much as he might have wanted to enter into a friendly match of trash talk and insulting, he knew that this wasn't the right place for it. Instead he tried to swallow his pride.

"Well, I thank you anyway, whether you want it or not. You… I was in a bad way towards the end, and you didn't have to do anything. I… well thank you."

Naaza glared at Rajura, and for a moment he thought the snake was going to retort. But instead he simply said, "You're welcome."

So the snake could take pleasant talk. Rajura filed away that piece of information. Swinging his legs onto the floor, he looked around. "Where is the other two?"

"Be cursed if I know."

"When will they be back?"

"Be cursed if I know."

"How's set up here?"

"Be cursed if--"

"Don't give me that," Rajura spat back. "You've been slithering around this city since we crossed the mountains. Of all of us you've had the most time to set things up. What have you done, and what can I do?"

"You're offering to help?"

Rajura rolled his eye. He debated for a moment, and then explained himself. "I'm told that I'm good at getting people where and when they need to be."

Naaza also paused, as if weighing his options. Finally, he said, "You're not going to be much good for the next day or so. You're feeling good now, that that will change in a few hours. The cure is worse than the curse. You'll be sick as a dog for the next day or so. Even if you were, there's not much left, and the only one who can do it is Anubisu."

"Why him?"

"He knows what to say and how to get in." Naaza stared at Rajura, getting the distinct impression that he wasn't about to divulge his grand master plan. Well, that was fine. Neither Rajura nor Shuten had divulged their plans in Peace and Tou Hashiba respectively when things were in the works. Rajura nodded and wiped his sweating forehead. He'd finally noticed the heat.

"What's the game plan for now?"

The snake grinned. "Waiting, of course."

* * *

Touma mentally cursed himself several times over as Seiji and Shuu lead the way to the inn. He had been so shocked at the sudden change in Shuu's character that he stuttered and stumbled, giving a very public display of a nervous secretary. Now he was branded with the stereotype. The prince had had his own fair share of fidgety and nervous assistants, and they drove him crazy. He had vowed that he would never be that visibly nervous around other people of high stature. Now he was forced to behave that way. The irony did not escape him.

_It is alright,_ Seiji thought to him reassuringly. _At least you know how to make the portrayal convincing._

Yeah, that made him really feel better.

Still, the display did work out. Several people could not help but witness Shuu's loud and pompous disembarking. Even now as they walked the streets, more than a few heads turned to see just what the parade was about.

"Date," Shuu suddenly demanded. "Why aren't we there yet? Even I could navigate these streets better than you."

"I am waiting for the traffic to part, Shuu-san," Seiji said without a hint of sarcasm. "One must be courteous to busy people."

Touma noted that the two seemed to get along very well in their role playing. Touma envied how easy they made it look. An idea hitting him, he pulled out one of the maps of the city. He scanned it quickly, his eyes darting this way and that to confirm where they were in relation to it. Nodding, he softly urged his white stallion forward.

"Uh," he said in a high, nervous voice. "Shuu-san? There might be a way around--"

"Cursed right there's a way around all this," Shuu said, mentally winking at Touma. His face, meanwhile, was all irritated business. He whacked the rump of his charger and started to move through the throng of people. "Move it, come on! Do you want to get lost?"

Touma and Seiji stared open mouthed as Shuu pushed his horse through the crowd, kicking aside humans and Sthissians alike.

Seiji regained his composure first. "Fuan-san, it is impolite to do such things," he admonished in a restrained voice. Touma supposed there was little acting necessary for that. The Korin elf, at a much gentler pace, moved his horse through the crowd. "Hashi-san, please hurry," he called back.

_Any time, Touma,_ Shin said as he pulled his horse up to the prince.

_Uh, right._

Touma carefully urged his horse forward, trying as Seiji did, not to run into or over too many people. Neither he nor Shin was as successful as the elf. When they had finally got through when Shuu sent out a question.

_Hey, where did Ryo go?_

Where, indeed? Touma looked around covertly and so no sign of the dark green hair Ryo had changed into. He shrugged, assuming he was most likely scoping out what the situation was. He sent out the idea, and the others agreed.

Shuu continued to shout at Seiji during the remainder of the ride, as Seiji's restrained voice replied with varying levels of sarcasm. Touma added in when he felt it was appropriate, while Shin, like he had wanted, kept his mouth shut.

Shuu asked Touma mentally which way was next, and the prince glanced at his map and sent the directions to both the mercenary and Seiji. Touma could hear the two murmuring to each other. Apparently, they were planning something, and Touma shut off that conversation as he looked to the quiet Shin.

"How you doin' M?" he asked softly.

There was a long pause before Shin replied. "I'm not used to the heat." But mentally, Shin was trying very hard not to yell. _This is a sewer of hypocrisy and villainy! The monks here might as well be burning their robes! Where did they find these idiots? Better yet, why did they even let them into the cloth?_

Touma sent as much sympathy as he could. Honestly, he hadn't even noticed. The prince had been to Sthiss once or twice and was well acquainted with the double standards. Now he felt guilty as his eyes glossed over the atrocity of the streets. He looked around more carefully, and saw what Shin had meant. There was little attempt to hide any abuses of power. In one alley, Touma briefly saw a handful of humans beating what looked to be a Sthissian child. A priest was up in the face of a Sthissian woman, demanding where she was going and why she was in the Upper section of town. She replied in quiet tones that Touma could not make out, but whatever her reply was not good enough, as the monk backhanded her and helped himself to her belongings. There seemed to be a fight on almost every corner, something malicious happening in every ally. Touma tried to picture how a well raised and humble Kaosan priest such as Shin would see such a display, and suddenly Touma realized that he was as bad as the humans in the streets that just walked by and paid no mind to it.

The prince had always been so absorbed in his own problems, he had never thought about the fact that there might be others even worse off them him. He knew about the difficulties of life, it was one of his fears about taking the crown. Now he realized that the crown had nothing to do with it. He was just using his problems as an excuse to not worry about other people's problems. Sthiss always was a hotbed of activity and social and revolutionary upheaval. But none of the other countries really took it seriously because it had been that way for as long as history recorded it. Now that Touma was seeing, really seeing, what was going on in Sthiss, he realized that doing nothing was the worst thing to do at all. Even if it was in vain, doing what he could to help the country was at least better than what everyone else had offered to the Sthissians.

_Those are some pretty deep thoughts,_ Shin said.

Touma jerked to the monk-sir. Had he been projecting his thoughts?

_You have,_ Shin replied. _You do that when you're so deep in thought._

They turned down another street. Touma hurriedly pushed his thoughts aside and tried to fall back into the role of nervous secretary. He checked the maps again and mentioned to Seiji and Shuu that they should turn right at the next block. They were well into Upper Suiss now, and Sthissians were hard to see. But Touma did not doubt that they were there somewhere.

"We take a right here," Seiji said on his pinto.

Shuu made a show of looking around. "No we don't, we take a left."

Touma nearly fell out of his saddle.

"Fuan-san, we most assuredly take a right. After doing so, we take another right at the next block and the inn will be right there."

"No we don't," Shuu said vehemently. "We take a left and follow the road to almost the end of it, then the inn is there."

"Fuan-san," Seiji said with infinite patience. "Taking a left will lead us back into Lower Suiss. There are no inns there."

"Yes, there is!" Shuu shouted. "I stayed there a bunch of times."

Seiji nodded, one of his ears twitching. "That may be so, but you are now an elected official. Here of all places you need to find an establishment suitable for your office. We do not want your throat slit or your water poisoned."

"Ah, come on, Date. Nobody's gonna do that to me. They all know me around here."

"Just the same, for once listen to me and take the right."

"Like horse dung I will. You all can go right if you want. I'm going left."

"Fuan-san," Seiji said in a low, threatening voice. Touma looked around and saw that the entire square was looking at them. A few had their hands on their swords or hidden knives, in case things got ugly. Touma edged his hand towards his daggers as well.

Shuu and Seiji stared at each other, and Touma realized this was what they were murmuring about. Inwardly, he rolled his eyes. They did want the public to know that they were there, but Touma doubted they wanted THIS many people to know.

Finally, Shuu gave a great sigh. "Fine, we'll do it your way. But I'm telling you right now, if I get invited to any of those stuffy formal greetings where I have to wear laces and make small talk and eat crackers, I will make a scene."

"You are doing a fine job of that already, Fuan-san." Seiji's voice was again slightly sarcastic and reproachful. Shuu looked around to the gaping crowed, as if noticing them for the first time. He gave a great laugh and put an awkward hand behind his head.

"Ha! You seem to be right. Sorry about that!" Shuu motioned his roan charger forward, taking the right like he had been planning all along, and Seiji, Touma, and Shin followed.

Touma meanwhile hoped this was the end of big displays. He reached up and patted the hawk, who chirped in agreement.

* * *

Shuu burst into their suite, which was the only definition for it, and flopped onto one of the ornately upholstered sofas. "Guys," he said gravely. "I rock."

Seiji offered a bright grin as he, too, sat down comfortably on the floor. "In your own mind, perhaps."

Touma and Shin were much more subdued with their entrance, and took a different sofa. Touma spoke first. "I thought you were going to start a brawl in the middle of square! What were you thinking?"

"Hey," Shuu said easily, standing up and walking around. "I can't help it if I want to stay at a place I know." Shuu wandered around the walls, seeming to look at the fine artwork. He mouthed his magic phrase and sent his senses out around the suite. There were plenty of people watching, it seemed. He counted more than half a dozen. It was to be expected after their big entrance. Besides, Shuu wanted a few people watching them for his next trick.

Shin noticed Shuu's actions and looked around as well, seeming to get a feel for the place.

"Hey, Hashi?" Shuu asked, turning to Touma. He mentally projected where all the listeners were. "Is this place ritzy enough to order room service?"

Touma blinked. "Uh, I suppose so. We're certainly paying enough for it."

"Well, great! I'll have one of everything. How about you guys?"

"I would not advise getting anything that is served to you," Seiji said lightly. "Better to prepare your own food."

"Okay, we'll get Sana to serve it." Shuu looked around. "Hey, where is Sana, anyway?"

Touma clicked his tongue. "Fuan-san, you know that servants aren't allowed into the suite."

"I know that!" Shuu roared, surprising Touma yet again. Shuu swallowed his grin. He was getting into the role.

_I'm finally back,_ Ryo's voice filtered into Shuu's and everyone's thoughts.

_Good,_ Shuu replied. _Get up here, I need you for a little stunt I'm about to pull. Can you do it?_

_In a flash._

Shuu nodded to himself, as if coming to a decision. The big Lugan mercenary looked around, screwing up his face in irritation. "Well anyway, knowing him, he's probably hiding somewhere. Hey, Sana! Where are ya?" Shuu casually walked over to one of the walls and pounded his fist on it, right where one of the spies was standing. "Sana? You trying to listen in on me? You know you don't have to do that. No?" Shuu again tried to suppress a smirk when he heard the faint cursing on the other side of the wall. He'd pounded right where the ear was. Good.

Next up was on a different part of the wall. He pounded again, and again it was right where the ear was. The cursing was a little louder, but Shuu pretended not to hear it as he went along to the different listening places in his game of calling out his servant Sana.

He kept the one person who was hiding in the room for last. His knockings and kickings had gotten progressively louder in his apparent growth of irritation. So when he flung open a closet door to find a Sthissian hiding there, he put on his best performance.

"Sana! What the cursed blazes were you doing in the closet? Get out here."

Grabbing the scruff of the neck, Shuu dragged the Sthissian, a slender young man, and all but tossed him to the other three. "Sana, how many times to I gotta tell you that you're not supposed to hide from me. It's not like I'm gonna do anything serious."

Seiji bent over, inspecting the Sthissian. "This is not Sana," he said slowly, uncertain what Shuu was planning.

"He isn't?" Shuu asked, sounding puzzled. Seiji huffed the man to his feet, and Shuu could see more than a few scars on his face. "Who are you?" Shuu demanded, his eyes narrowing. The Sthissian spat in his face in reply.

"Bad answer," Shuu said. Then he looked deliberately where all the spies were. "I'll tell you what," he said loudly. "I'll let you out without giving you some old fashioned Lugan discipline, and you tell all your other pal spies to get the curses out of my room. I ordered a private room, and I expect it to STAY private!"

Shuu shoved the Sthissian to the door and opened it to a bellboy holding Ryo at the elbow. Perfect timing.

"Sir, this Sthissian insists he works for you," he said in a nasal, self-important voice. "What shall I do with him?"

"Sana!" Shuu said with a great grin. "It's about time. I want you to get some food for us. Make sure no one poisons it."

"Right away, sir." Ryo scurried off.

"Now," Shuu said to the stunned bellboy. "I found this little snoop in my closet. Make sure there aren't any more around me. I'll know if you don't," he added, his voice low. The bellboy just sort of gaped as Shuu slammed the door in his face.

Shin, Touma, and Seiji just stared at their friend as he nonchalantly plopped back onto the sofa and whistled innocently.

When his senses showed that there were no spies left, he finally dropped his act.

"Well, that took long enough," he said with an audible sigh.

"Shuu, you never cease to amaze me," Shin said simply.

The mercenary could only grin in response.

"If we've finally gotten all that exhibitionism over with?" Touma asked. All eyes turned to him and he rolled his eyes. "Has anyone else noticed how any people were staring at us while we were riding up?"

"That was the idea," Shuu answered.

"Oh, sure," Touma said. "I think we all agreed that we wanted the entire city to know about our arrival. I thought we just wanted a smaller entrance, where heads turned, stared at us for a few minutes, then turned right back. That didn't happen. We had everyone gaping at us. We were like royalty."

"Everyone stares," Shuu said, waiving it off. "If that many people did, then it was probably because the political climate was a little hotter than we anticipated."

There was a pause in the conversation as Sthissian Ryo came up with the food. He knocked appropriately, and Shin answered the door, Touma behind him with a dagger ready.

"Food!" Shuu shouted. Ryo nodded and looked pointedly at Seiji.

Nodding, Seiji murmured "Rei Ko Zan," and the odd sound of silence enveloped the room.

"It was a good idea for you to have me get the food," Ryo said. "Nobody wants officials of any kind right now. Things are hotter than I've ever seen it."

"How bad is it?" Seiji asked.

Ryo slumped to join the elf on the ground. "Bad. Just bad."

"What happened?"

"Someone knew we were coming," Ryo started. He took one of the glasses of water and took a gulp. "My best guess is that the other two are here somewhere. They must have been here since we shook them off in the Korin Forest. They've had plenty of time to set things up, and set them up good."

"What have they done?" Shin asked slowly.

"Talk mostly. He's smart enough to know that words are the deadliest weapon here in Sthiss. They've had over a season to get everything in place."

"What do you mean words?"

"They've been spreading rumors. I don't know how they started, but now they've spread like wildfire. Any group of five is under suspicion. It's believed that one or more in this group of five is going to try and make a play for the High Kamek's title. Of course nobody wants that because nobody wants some outsider to come in and think they can do whatever they want. This title taker has four hired assassins and out and out thugs of the highest order to act as bodyguards. It's said that he's immune to poison, invulnerable to arrows, and invincible in a fight. One of the bodyguards is a dishonored and not completely sane elf, while another in the embittered and indebted member of the Hashiba nobility."

"Bad," Shuu said from the couch. "Very bad."

"That's not the half of it. If the rumors aren't bad enough, people are taking them seriously. They say even High Kamek Sarenbo has asked about the truth of these rumors. They're questioning everyone who even looks suspicious, and aren't afraid to beat them if they give the wrong answers."

"Beat them?" Shin asked.

"Doesn't even matter if they're human or not," Ryo answered. He gave a concerned glance to Shin's increasingly pale face.

"The Sthissians are all in an uproar. What they're doing depends on the faction you're talking about. The biggest are the Fang, Cobra, Rattlers, Diamondbacks, Pythons, Fork-Tongues, and Snake-Eyes. That isn't even a third of them, but they're the ones worth mentioning, and they're all doing something different, from giving their own beatings to confirming the rumors to fighting over who should take care of it.

"The apothecaries are working overtime in producing poisons, and taste testers are dying by the dozens. Local violence has doubled. It's just a mess out there."

"And then we come trouncing in setting off every alarm in the country with our supposedly 'semi-public' docking and parade to the inn," Touma supplied. "Well, this has been spectacularly unsuccessful."

"We can only hope that the Kamek is scared enough to not want to see us," Seiji mused in a far away voice. It still took a fair amount of concentration to withhold the sound, especially for a space as large as their suite. Up until now he only had to worry about their small cabin on the boat.

Shuu said, "The chances of that are slim." Finishing of his share of the food, he crossed his arm and frowned. "Sarenbo has always worked behind the scenes because it was never worth him risking coming out. He has a small but tight circle of cronies that do all the work. But he has shown his face in the most important of circumstances. If these rumors have even got his attention, then he'll want to put in an appearance."

"So the very thing we were trying to avoid is going to happen. Typical." Touma sighed and sunk further into the couch.

Shin shook his head and held it in his hand. "I almost wish I would see him, and then I could tell him I'm reporting him to the council in Peace."

"That wouldn't do any good," Touma said gently. "Hashiban history has listed a few notable and influential nobles who tried reporting whatever Kamek to Peace. It never did anything."

Shin blanched. "There are no records about any reports on the Kamek. I checked once when I heard that things were always so bad in Sthiss."

"They must have conveniently forgotten to write about it," Touma said; his eyes bright as his mind worked. "Sthiss is the dumping ground. It's where all the disrespectable and do-nothings are sent to forget about. Sthiss is a hotbed, so in the early days they probably had to send the former soldiers or whatever. Then things just sort of happened, and the slackers were sent. I'll bet that as a punishment for wrongdoings, they're sent to Sthiss for a set amount of time. They either die or thrive in the environment and then they keep the theocracy intact in exchange for running the country in whatever way they want."

"Arrogant, self-righteous people; and they call themselves members of the cloth," Shin muttered.

"It's just politics," Touma said indifferently. "It's the way things are run."

Shin threw a long glare at the prince. "I see why you wouldn't want to be a king. You wouldn't be very good at it."

"What did you say?" Touma demanded.

"If you're so indifferent to how things are run and just accept the unacceptable, then you would hardly make a good king. I'm sure even your uncle does a better job than you."

Touma opened his mouth to retort when Seiji raised his voice.

"I hope you both understand that this silence is not a permanent state. We had better move on. In a country this volatile, we do not have time for disagreements in politics."

That shut them both up right away. Shuu worried for both of them, but decided to say nothing. Like Seiji had said, they didn't have time for squabbling.

Ryo also gave a worried glance, but went on. "If the eventuality of meeting Sarenbo is guaranteed, then we need to plan for it. For one, we can't be separated. So we'll have to come up with an excuse on why the five of us are going to be together. I don't dare go wandering around on my own in the High Kamek's palace."

"But you're a Rekka," Shuu said. "You can change into whatever you want."

"But that's a benefit only if I'm not seen. That's just about impossible in Sthiss and especially in Sarenbo's palace."

"Oh." Shuu pondered the problem and a silence befell the five. "Well," Shuu said finally, "I can easily explain why Seiji and Touma are being brought. My emissary and secretary. It's the two servants that we have to dance around."

"I doubt it would be as simple as not wanting to leave us out of your sight," Shin lamented.

"Well, I probably could with Ryo, considering Sthissian nature to sneak away and be conspiratorial. Sorry Shin," Shuu said at the mixed look from his friends. "They just are."

"So then the problem is me," Shin said; his voice quiet.

"Not you," Seiji said softly. "But the character you are playing."

"Oh! You can be in charge," Shuu said as the idea hit him. "You can be in charge of Ryo and give him the orders and stuff. No, wait, that won't work. You'd have to be rough on him and that won't be happening." Sighing, Shuu leaned back into the sofa.

"Do you really have to explain it?" Touma asked, thinking. "You're a newly elected official of the Lugan government and a trained and somewhat famous mercenary. Can you write it off as some top secret military reason?"

Shuu frowned, sitting forward again. "I'd have to think about that." He puzzled about it for a few minutes. "Well," he said finally. "As a 'former' mercenary, I know the advantage of numbers, and I've been here enough times to know that I want that advantage. I only brought four assistants/servants with me, so I'd want to keep them around me at all times. There's also the excuse that I don't want to take my eyes off of them. The last thing I would want is anyone competent to conveniently disappear or be poisoned. Besides, I could just say that you used to be mercs too, and that I like you around. I can talk my way through it, I think. Give me some time."

"Has anyone even been inside the palace?" Touma asked.

"I have, a long, long time ago," Ryo said. "It's probably been redesigned several times over. I doubt anything I have to offer would do any good; and I can't disappear and change into a snake to go and find out, not with all the surveillance that we're about to be under."

"So we'll be going in blind."

"Just about," replied Ryo grimly.

"Well," Touma said. "On that pleasant note, why don't we try and get to sleep and at least let Seiji have a break."

Everyone nodded and Ryo got up. "There are a few things I'd like to get while I can. We're adequately stocked with food, but there are a few antitoxins and medicinal things I want to have on hand."

Shin stood as well. "I'll go with you. I need to see what happens in this city and try to numb myself to it, if I can. If nothing else, it will give one of us practice on helping me keep my trap shut."

Ryo looked at his friend, gauging him, and then nodded and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "This is going to be hard; and it's only going to get worse."

Shin nodded. "Then let's get this over with."

"Agreed. Seiji."

The light elf sighed and released his spell, immediately grabbing his previously untouched glass of water and downed it in a series of gulps.

"Well, then," Shuu said loudly. No doubt the spies were safely back in place. "What are the two of you standing around for? Go get the stuff!" He stood up and shooed and shoved Ryo and Shin out the door. When it safely clicked behind him, he made a grand show of yawning. "I'm beat from all this. What say we go to bed? Hashi, you have the first watch."

"Uh, okay," Touma said in his nasal and nervous voice.

Shuu prepared himself for a restless sleep.


	20. Sthiss 19

Ryo watched as Shin, tightlipped and determined, walked through the streets to Lower Suiss. He had to admire the disguised monk-sir on his sheer strength of will to voluntarily be witness to the slums and hovels of the Sthissians. He shook his head, his dark green hair swishing behind him. Ryo hadn't been nearly so brave or well controlled when he had first seen Sthiss. As he recalled, he'd been thrown out of the country because of his outburst. Ah, those were the days.

They crossed a collection of rotting, roped together boards that doubled as a bridge over a filthy stream and as a boundary between Upper and Lower Suiss. The difference was staggering. The white buildings almost dissolved behind them and the plank and twig shacks materialized in front of them. Shin mentally gasped at the change, but otherwise did not show his surprise.

They made their way down the paths--they could no longer be called streets--and the mid evening sun gave the atmosphere and ethereal quality. It was busy with people, either doing some last minute trading or going to some place with purpose. Sthissians bumped into and pushed Ryo and Shin, sometimes by accident, most of the time deliberately. More than a few Sthissians spat on the ground where Shin walked and cursed him as they passed. Shin, to his credit, took it all in stride, even mentally, reminding himself that he was a hated human and that such a reaction would be natural.

He did not, however, take well to when the Sthissians would behave poorly to Ryo.

One such example was when a tall, burly Sthissian in his thirties saw the pair approaching.

"Cursed tail licking slave. What's the likes of you doing bringin' the likes of him down this aways?"

"Lookin' for stuff," Ryo said, bowing his head several times with a submissive air. "Lookin' for good, honest stuff."

"The curse blazes you are. What you up to? Selling your sister or mother to that 'uman, huh? Gonna have his way wit' her to make'm happy."

"Not that good, naw," Ryo replied, moving on.

The Sthissian was not done, however, and stated such when he grabbed Ryo by the locks of his hair. The Rekka bit back his yelp as the man yanked, pulling Ryo off balance. Shin moved to intervene but Ryo ordered him not to. _I'm just property. You're not supposed to care what happens._

Shin objected loudly. _He's about to beat you!_

True to his prediction, the Sthissian rammed his knee into Ryo's rib cage, rushing the air out of his lungs. Before he could take a breath, the burly man then pushed his face into the mud. Ryo struggled at first, unable to get a lick of air. His brain took over, however, and he let his body go limp.

"R--Sana!"

_STOP SHIN!_

Shin did so, not expecting the vehemence in Ryo's mental voice.

_This is nothing. He can't hurt me too bad with you in sight. Please, please, don't say anything. I've got it under control._ The Sthissian banged his fist into Ryo's exposed back, and Shin loudly protested Ryo's logic.

_You're letting yourself get hammered! You won't be able to walk after this if he breaks you spine or something!_

_He won't do that,_ Ryo assured as another fist pounded into the back of his head. _If there's anything serious after this, Seiji can have a look at me._

Shin gaped. _"IF there's anything serious?"_

_Don't worry, he's almost done._

True to Ryo's prediction, the Sthissian let up, using Ryo's hair to drag the Rekka to his feet. "You learn you're lesson, yeah?"

"I learned it, yeah," Ryo said between greedy gulps of air. He bowed again, and the Sthissian spat on his face before letting him go, muttering to himself as he walked on as if nothing had happened.

Shin was immediately by Ryo's side.

"Are you alright?" he asked in quiet tones.

Ryo took a quick inventory of himself. "A few bruises. Nothing broken. No bites. I'm good."

"No bites?" Shin asked, confused.

"No bites," Ryo assured, and then mentally explained. _Some Sthissians, not all, but some can have a venomous bite, like real snakes. You have to be very careful when dealing with them._

Shin choked. _Letting yourself get beaten is being careful? That's foolish! Especially if we have to be at our best in the high Kamek's palace!_

Ryo lost his patience. He grabbed Shin's arm and dragged him to a deserted alleyway almost completely enshrouded in evening shadows.

"Look," he said quietly. "I'm honored that you care about me and want to protect me. That means more to me than you may realize. Your willpower is better than most, but Shin, you HAVE to remember where you are. The rules here are completely different than in other places. The theocracy aside, this isn't my master's temple, or Kaosan principle based country. This is anarchy. At its finest. The one rule about this place is that there are no rules. If somebody wants to beat me or rough me up because I look like a Sthissian, then that's their business. The only time you can intervene is if they're damaging me too much. But Shin, they'll never do that. Not with you right there watching. The worst they'll ever do is bruise me up a little bit."

Shin bit out his words. "But. It's. Wrong."

"Of course it is. Everywhere else in the known world, this would be stopped almost immediately. But. Not. Here. Shin, the gods blessed you with a good heart, but you have to accept the fact that you can't change things. Not right now. We have a higher quest, remember? The Inochi no Madatama was stolen and we have to go find it. We have to get to cross the Lugan Mountains before winter in order to get to castle Yagyu. We have to make our stay here as short as possible, and Shin, that means not making waves."

They stayed in the alleyway a long time, hidden by the shadows. Ryo stared intently at Shin, waiting for the disguised monk-sir to affirm that he understood. Anger spent, Ryo's heart went out to Shin. He had never wanted to put Shin in this kind of situation. He had hoped, back when he had found the four in the Outlet that they could just cross the mountains and be done with it. But his master and the other gods had other plans. Perhaps this was a necessary trial.

Finally, Shin let out a long breath.

"I understand what you are saying. I will do things your way. But I refuse to accept this, or that this can't be changed."

Ryo nodded. "Maybe when this is all over, you can come back in your robes and do some real good. But not now."

"Alright." Shin let out another breath. "Alright."

Ryo hugged Shin warmly, trying to comfort him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"For now, yeah. But Ryo, I can't keep my mouth shut like this forever."

Nodding, Ryo answered, "We'll keep you in the inn most of the time. The worst will be when we go to the palace. If you, we, can get through that, then we're home free."

"Okay. Let's get going then." Shin pulled away from Ryo. "We don't want the others to worry."

Ryo nodded. "Then let's go."

* * *

Shuten felt irritated, though he could not put his finger on why. He was playing cards with Rajura in the hovel where Naaza and Anubisu were staying. The aforementioned pair was also there. The snake was glaring at Shuten and looking at Rajura, making sure the last effects of the poison had worn off. The dark long ear was performing some sort of kata just outside, completely ignoring the rest of them.

Anubisu finished, and then calmly strode back into the crowded hovel.

"When do we make our move?" he asked.

"Probably today," Naaza said. "Those Troopers won't want to stay in this hellhole long. You have the description?"

"Aa," Anubisu affirmed with a stout nod. "I'll be back by tonight."

"Right," Naaza said, not looking up. The dark elf took a canteen and started to leave before Naaza stopped him.

_Anubisu. . . good luck._

_. . . Thank you._

Shuten raised a ruby eyebrow but said nothing. The exchange was obviously meant to be private, and the Kitsune gambler wondered why it was that he heard the conversation. He looked casually over to Rajura and saw that he, too, had heard the exchange.

"What are you looking at?" Naaza spat.

"Nothing," the pair answered simultaneously.

"Then why to do you keep looking at me?"

"Nothing important," Shuten said, emphasizing the second word. "By the way, full house."

Rajura cursed and handed over the money he had gambled.

"Never understand why you play against that cheating Kitsune," Naaza muttered; shaking his head.

"It's an intellectual challenge," Rajura explained. "Knowing that the opponent is a cheater, yet still striving to beat him despite the odds. I'm a good player myself at card games, and I like the challenge."

Naaza muttered something incomprehensible, but otherwise did not reply. Was it Shuten's imagination, or did the snake seem to take the words to heart? How interesting. It appeared that he was not the only one who had changed since spring. The dynamic between Rajura and Naaza seemed slightly softer. Perhaps because of his healing of the Gen? Then maybe Shuten would have a go-between for himself and the snake. He and Naaza had rubbed each other wrong since they first met. Shuten had run across the Doko in the desert. The snake was half mad with thirst. Not knowing he was one of the chosen and thinking instead he was insane with the heat, Shuten had given Naaza some sour wine to make the snake come to his senses. Naaza, of course, had taken it all wrong, thinking that Shuten had done that deliberately for his own amusement.

The Doko also, because of his in-education, thought in different circles and ways than Shuten. Most of his trains of thought ran on things that Shuten often thought were unimportant, such as rainfall and dry weather, or temperature's effect on plants. Shuten always failed to see the relevance in it, and had assumed that the snake was stupid because of that.

But now the Kitsune was left to question his judgment. From what Anubisu had said, the Doko had set up this trap almost completely on his own. The conceiving, planning, and at least half the implementation had been done by him. That was hardly a small feat, and Shuten found himself grudgingly respecting the amount of work. Maybe that was why he was feeling so irritated.

"Where is he going?" Rajura asked, referring to the recently departed Anubisu.

"To see the glorious, wise, mighty, and fat high Kamek of all Sthiss and its dangerous jungles, Sarenbo."

"How does he expect to get in?" Shuten queried.

Naaza could only grin in response. "He has his ways."

Rajura nodded, catching on. Shuten did soon after and kicked himself for the stupidity of the question. Anubisu was a dark elf and a master of darkness. Getting in should be a snap.

". . . What can we do?" Rajura asked slowly.

Naaza looked at Rajura, as if shocked that a human would ask what he should be do. He stared at the one eyed Gen incredulously, gauging him up. Finally, Naaza let out a long breathe, acceding that their help would be useful. "You can keep an eye on the Troopers. See if you can find out when they're leaving."

"Fine." Rajura got up and stretched. "To Chi Mou." Rajura's form shifted to that of a blond priest. Sneering, he wandered out of the hovel as if he had every right being there.

All that was left in the tiny room was Naaza and Shuten. The two did everything they could to avoid looking at the other, unsure what to do and not about to let the opportunity be passed up either.

"So," Shuten said slowly. If Rajura could learn to get along with the snake, then maybe the Kitsune could. Shuten had said himself that the advantage of teamwork needed to be theirs if they wanted any hope of defeating the Troopers for Arago-sama. The thought somehow struck him as wrong, but he pushed it aside for his short term goal: try to get along with Naaza. "What. . . what can I do?"

Naaza turned sharply to Shuten, his beady eyes glaring daggers. Apparently, whatever thoughts the snake was having were not nearly so goal orientated as Shuten's.

"You can drop dead for all I care," the Doko spat. He sat up and darted out of the shack. Shuten moved to run after him, but when he stepped outside, he found that the snake had already disappeared.

"Gods curse it," Shuten swore.

* * *

Anubisu slipped into the shade of one of the massive trees that littered Lower Suiss and pressed himself against the bark, his dark skin and hair causing him to blend in. Almost invisible, he whispered his magical phrase. "Ankoku Cho Uhigiri." The darkness of the shade enveloped him and within moments, he was invisible to everyone. Light bounced off him in all directions, and the darkness enshrouded him. He cooled almost immediately and felt much more comfortable. Confidently he stepped away from the tree and began to walk to the Upper part of the city.

The dark elf had been looking around the ornate, gaudy, austere palace that sirs had the audacity of saying was a temple. It was guarded, very well guarded. The high Kamek knew what he was doing. But no man, human or otherwise, can possess knowledge about everything. It had taken some digging and exploring and planning, but Anubisu had a way to get in.

The palace was an ancient building, having been built and rebuilt over and over. There were more than a few wings that were never used, even if their doors were manned. However, there was one passage that Anubisu had found that was unmanned. The entrance was nearly a dozen blocks behind the temple, where the jungle fought to take control of its own lands. The dark elf had found it while wandering around the streets, trying to get a feel for the palace. The entrance was a stone building, uncovered in the off-white plaster and sandstone of the other buildings. The once grey stones were sun bleached over time, even though now it was covered in the shade of the jungle giants. There was no longer a door, just steps into darkness.

Yami elf Anubisu could not resist such an invitation.

Now, with practiced ease and confidence in his invisibility, the dark elf walked down the steps, his eyes immediately adjusting to the dark. He traveled down for several feet, until he was well underground. The stairs stopped and opened to a long, narrow, and small tunnel. As far as Anubisu could discern, the tunnel was built centuries back, perhaps even in the first days of the theocracy. It traveled those dozen blocks to the palace, where it opened behind an ornate tapestry, twenty feet off the ground. Anubisu had nearly been caught when he first traveled the tunnel, but some clever thinking and some quick magic had kept both him and the passage intact. Now he dropped onto the floor easily and rolled under the tapestry. He turned around quickly, and saw that there was no trace of his landing.

Standing, he looked around. By now Anubisu had a good mental idea of the layout of the palace, and left the room, heading to the upper levels.

Sarenbo had a deft security system. The thugs were well trained and well paid, but they did little good against an opponent they couldn't see and wouldn't make noise in the lush carpets. He passed through the multiple checkpoints easily, following servants when he found them, using his magic to put guards to sleep when he could not.

Anubisu's one challenge was the door to Sarenbo's chambers. There were two guards on either side of the door, and an intricate locking system. Even if he were to put them to sleep and break the lock, Sarenbo would wonder why the door opened for no reason and then call in the army he was paying to protect him.

But even this Anubisu had an answer for. It required the one thing he had learned from the long winters of little food and hollow family. Patience.

The room before Sarenbo's chambers was empty of all furnishings, so Anubisu sat silently in the far corner of the room and waited.

It took well over three hours for someone to come. When he did, Anubisu saw that it was Sarenbo's chief assassin, Gashura. Bare skinned to stay cool except for the plate armor around his torso, wrists, and shins, he walked with purpose to the door before slamming on it. "Gashura reporting."

Anubisu stood and quickly fell right behind the man. The assassin was well trained; he turned and stared directly at Anubisu. But he saw nothing, as he was supposed to, and turned back to the door and listened to the intricate process of unlocking all the locks.

"It took you long enough, I've been sweating buckets," the deep rolling pitch of Sarenbo replied. Gashura stepped in with his dark elf tail right at his heals. Anubisu sidestepped as the door closed and the locks were refastened.

The chambers were perhaps the most ornately decorated of the entire palace, and that was saying something. The walls were colored in a rich purple die, and covered with narcissistic paintings of Sarenbo doing supposedly great things and looking grander and handsomer than he was. The paintings were framed in ornate gold, and candles lined each side to give it light at any time of day. The seating area was plush, with elaborately shaped couches encased in rich, dark wood. At the very back was a door, most likely housing the bedchamber.

Anubisu sat comfortably on the carpeted floor and again waited. What he had planned needed the mighty Kamek alone.

"So? So?" the object of Anubisu's little journey pestered. "What have you learned?"

"Merely more of the same. The rumors have been getting more embellished as time and the public wear on. Now they talk of magic and mighty spells that vanquish their enemies. It's all a load of mule-dung, if you ask me. The wilder this talk gets, the less I'm inclined to believe it."

"Then why are all the factions killing each other over this? There must be something to this moron who wants to try and replace me. Everything has a basis of truth to it, even the most brazen and wild of rumors. What about that group of five that was so loud in their entry?"

"That was Shuu Rei Fuan. He used to be a mercenary of high rank. I even worked with him a few times without him knowing it. Very good at what he does. He's recently been elected as an official of some sort for the Lugan government. I don't know his title just yet. He knows what this country is like, so he let everyone know that he knew. That's just like him."

Sarenbo nodded. "But there were five of them! That has to mean something, doesn't it?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no. I tend to think no because it isn't like Fuan to be so underhanded about that sort of thing."

"Warrior sentimentality does you in every time. Where are the Saryuto? They'll have a more objective opinion about this."

Gashura bowed, his armor clinking as he did so. "I'll send for them right away." The assassin turned and exited the room, Sarenbo immediately locking up behind him.

Now they were alone. Sarenbo grabbed what looked to be a bottle of strong liquor and downed it in an attempt to calm his nerves. Perfect.

Anubisu slid up to the faux, fat leader of Sthiss. The dark elf noted the elaborate dark blues of the priesthood were made of an expensive silk. He also saw that the silks were dark because of sweat. The high Kamek did not live in such ornate luxury without a price. His chambers, Anubisu noted, had no windows, and the space was stifling. Were it not for the shadows that kept him invisible and cool, Anubisu would no doubt be again down with the heat. The Kamek also wore luxurious golds around his neck and fingers. Jeweled earrings hung from his ears and dangled this way and that as he searched for another bottle of liquor.

Anubisu, secure with the knowledge that they were now alone, began. "Sarenbo," he whispered, right by the Kamek's ear.

The sweaty little fat man jumped, his eyes raking over the room. He glared accusingly at the bottle in his hands and cast it aside. Anubisu again whispered in his pale ear, "Sarenbo."

"Who's there?" he demanded, again jumping and again looking around.

"Your god, Sarenbo. Your god."

"I have no god, curse it! Who are you?"

"If I am not your god, Sarenbo," Anubisu whispered, his voice a soft feather against the paranoid Kamek's ear, "then why do you wear my cloth?"

The man looked down to his sir blue and then looked up in shock. "Kaosu!"

"Do no say my name in vain, Sarenbo," Anubisu said gravely, though he was smiling at how well this amateur was being riled. "Not when I am about to bless you."

That got Sarenbo's attention. "Bless me? Yeah right. What type of blessing does a god give nowadays? A plague? A curse? What?"

"Information, Sarenbo. A blessing of information."

Sarenbo scoffed and spat. "What could you possibly give me that I don't already know?"

Anubisu smirked outright as he slammed a cold fist into the man's side. "You dare question a god, Sarenbo? Do you wish your replacement to reach you so much sooner?"

The fat Kamek shot up, forgetting the pain in his gut. Anubisu place a cold finger along his cheek. "Do you feel that, Sarenbo? That is the touch of death if you think to refute me."

"Alright! Alright! Whatever you want, whoever you are! Just do what you came here for and leave me alone!" The fat man stood, backing away in terror. Anubisu again slid up to the man's ear, whispering.

"Do not trust the mercenary, Shuu Rei Fuan, Sarenbo. He is no official. Bait the one with sea eyes with the false Sthissian, and you will find your dreaded replacement, Sarenbo. Show them for what they are, and you will be rewarded greatly."

The terror still lacerating his face, he looked to where Anubisu stood invisibly. "Reward?"

"Yes, Sarenbo. A reward most fitting of one with your talent."

"W. . . What kind of reward?"

Anubisu considered replying, but instead backed away. The sweaty high Kamek looked around, calling out to the god, but Anubisu did not answer, making the appearance of a disappearance. There came a loud knock shortly thereafter, and Anubisu waited by the door as Sarenbo hurriedly unlocked it. A pair of men, redheaded and without shirts, walked in absolute unison into Sarenbo's chambers. The Saryuto had arrived.

Anubisu did not bother to see what would happen next, and instead slipped out the door. He allowed the loose chuckle to filter through the halls, and servants and guards started to attention, looking around for the source.

The dark elf made his way back to the room with the tapestry and used the strong tassels to hoist himself up and to the opening of the tunnel. Only when he was outside and well away from the entrance did he let his magic drop. The heat of the late afternoon enveloped him, but he paid it no mind as he sipped idly from his canteen. Things couldn't have gone better.

* * *

There came a loud, but polite knock on the door on their fourth day in Sthiss. Up until now the five had received no visitors, and some dared hope that they would escape without having to visit the High Kamek. This knock dashed all their hopes and Seiji went to the door, Touma close behind but well hidden, ready to use his knives if necessary.

The man on the other side of the door had the bronze of a permanent tan on his skin, giving a defining frame of body. Plated armor of an indiscernible metal hugged his torso, complimenting the gauntlets and shin guards he also wore. He wore a monk-sir's mantel, but otherwise appeared to need no other clothing.

The man nodded a shaved head to Seiji.

"May I help you?" the Korin elf asked suspiciously.

"I am here on business of the high Kamek. Is the person you counsel here?"

Seiji was about to answer when Shuu did it for him. "Gashura? Is that you? Hey pal, long time no see!" Already in character, Shuu brushed Seiji aside and sized up the bald man. "So, you finally decided to show yourself, you old bloodhound, you. You kept such a close eye on me whenever I came here, I was wondering if you'd ever show your face. It's ugly, by the way."

Gashura raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to be insulted or complimented.

"Well, come on, come on. There should be something around here that I can scrounge up for you. Hey, Sana! M! Have we got anything to drink?"

The armored man shook his head. "I am not here on a social call, Shuu."

Seiji watched the Lugan turn to Gashura, seemingly surprised. "Really? What's the high Kamek want with me? I'm the brand spanking new official, I'm sure you've heard by now. I'm not freelance anymore."

"It's your new position that the Kamek wishes to know about."

Shuu made a pensive face. "It's hardly all that important. It's a new office. I'm now the 'Strategist, Maps, and Battle History Keeper.' I act as the 'center source of knowledge on previous battle strategies and how they were utilized, what were their cause and effects, as well as their pros and cons'. A glorified secretary."

Gashura allowed himself to grin. It was an act that Seiji suspected did not happen often.

"They've pulled you away from the battlefield. What a waste. You'll be fatter than the high Kamek before the year is out, the way you eat."

Shuu shook his head. "Never happen. So now that I've told you, you can take that information back to his mightiness, right?"

Gashura frowned and shook his head. "I have orders to escort you there personally. There is something that the high Kamek wishes to know."

"And you can't tell them?" Shuu asked.

"No, I can't."

Shuu shrugged. "Well, I guess there's no helping it. I'll get my crew saddled up."

Gashura nodded. "We'll be waiting by the stables."

"We?" Shuu asked.

"The Saryuto have also been ordered to act as escorts."

"Wow, I'm getting the royal treatment."

"That is one way of putting it. I will be by the stables. I expect you to be there with lightning speed." Then Gashura left.

Shuu immediately let out a frustrated growl. "We're in deep. Gashura is Sarenbo's chief assassin, and the Saryuto are experts in combat based on trickery and illusions."

"Then we'd better move as fast as Gashura-san suggested," Seiji said slowly.

The five quickly gathered all of their packs and went down to the stables. True to his word, Gashura and the redheaded Saryuto were there. The five were saddled and mounted on their horses in record time and rode out of the stable.

"Why such large packs?" one of the Saryuto questioned.

"Well, this was our last day here anyway," Shuu said honestly. "Maybe we can hitch the next boat outta here after this meeting."

The other brother scoffed, but otherwise the pair rode in silence.

They all rode through Upper Suiss with little problem. The streets were virtually empty of all citizenry.

_Where is everyone?_ Touma asked.

Ryo replied, _They most likely have either been told or forced to take the high ground. Look at the upper floors. They want to see if any sparks fly._

Shin's voice came next. _That is sick. Who would want to see five people massacred? This city is so twisted it's even got its own people in knots._

Seiji privately agreed.

The rest of the ride was without incident, and it was not long before they reached the ornate absurdity of the high Kamek's temple; it was really a palace. The towers of the temple-palace raised high into the sky with very few windows casting a gaze to the well-guarded streets below. The building was expansive, having been rebuilt many times over the centuries, and it was evident that many parts were no longer in use, given to collapsed roof or torn open wall on the older looking sections of the plaster. From the roof itself, the glint of several arrowheads aimed at them proved to make the tension they were riding in even more thick. Over the four days since their arrival, they had all discussed and planned on what possible outcomes may happen if they had to meet the Kamek of Sthiss. Now that they were actually at the palace--it would have been blasphemy to call the obstruction a temple--any plans they had seemed woefully unprepared.

They rode into a courtyard, extravagantly decorated, tree-lined and gold-lined. The stables were off to the side, looking just as gaudy. A small child Sthissian, gender indeterminable hurried over and took the reins of all their horses. Gashura kicked the child away while dismounting, seeming not to notice something so below his radar. Ryo scurried over, helped the child up, and took the reins of the other's horses, in an attempt to get some extra information from the Sthissian slaves that worked there. The Saryuto, however, shoved him away, handing all of the reins to the child, who hardly looked able to handle ten horses.

"Snake," one of the Saryuto growled, pulling Ryo back to his feet. "You are not to be let out of our sight."

"He takes good care of my horses," Shuu replied loudly. "We're leaving after this meeting anyway, so it's not like he needs to unsaddle or brush our horses." The little child looked relieved and continued to try and pull the horses to the stables. "He's better off with the animals anyway."

"Our orders are to bring all five of you," the other Saryuto retorted, taking Ryo's other arm. "You needn't worry. We won't harm your investment." The first Saryuto kicked Ryo in the direction of the main entrance, easily guarded by a battalion of guards, though only four were visible.

This was not going to go well.


	21. Sthiss 20

Shin bit down on his cheek, a move that was not easily viewable from anyone walking by him, but not quite as painful or deadly as biting on his tongue. His outrage had reached new levels when he had seen this disgrace of the temple and continued to rise as he and his friends were guided through the maze of halls in the palace. The Saryuto had stopped their taunting of Ryo, thankfully, which made Shin ease up on his cheek. Evidently, Ryo's lack of a reaction had made them bored. What a pity. The inside of the palace itself had more gold lining the walls than could even be described as tasteful. Elegant and expensive tapestries that clashed hideously with ornately carved wood and gold walls hung everywhere, as well as ugly portraits of the previous Kameks that had ruled over Sthiss. With a few exceptions, everyone who had ever ruled over this jungle country was sneaky, devious, and ruthless. The few pictures that weren't so repugnant were those of young men and women, barely older than himself, who died very quickly.

Shin was finding it more and more difficult to keep a handle on his emotions. There were little slips at how he felt about things every now and then. A scowl here, a tightened fist there. He had to focus on keeping a relaxed air around himself, lest he blow their cover and let everyone in shouting distance know how he really felt about the situation.

The sheer wealth that surrounded him in this palace was staggering, and was no doubt enough to feed everyone in Lower Suiss for an entire year, if not more. A hand came onto his shoulder, surprising Shin. He looked over to see Ryo there, looking around and appearing to be scared, but with the anger temporarily out of his focus, Shin felt waves of reassurance coming from him, as well as the other three, who were glancing back at him in concern every now and then under the disguise of looking around.

Taking a deep and controlled breath, Shin tried to picture in his mind his seaside home, ignoring the audacity that surrounded him. If he could just believe himself to be elsewhere, things might improve for him. If he couldn't keep his control by being there, he would try to be somewhere else. Shuu offered some help, letting a memory float over their connection of back when they were children, before Shuu had to move. A sweet memory of them playing in the water on an unusually hot summer day. Shin relaxed, his cheek sliding out from between his teeth for the first time since arriving at the "temple". He now had a focus. Something to try and keep his mind off of the atrocities he had to witness.

To his credit, he did much better. No more outward signs of his outrage showed themselves, despite having to witness a male Sthissian get solicited by a priestess and a beating of a young girl by some of the guards of the palace. While hardly happy with the situation he found himself in, Shin kept better control of the undercurrents going on within him. Instead of letting his anger control him, he kept his focus, and instead started to create a mental list of things that he would work on after the Inochi no Madatama was found, because he _would_ be back. He promised himself that much. He would do everything he could to help the people who were stuck here. That was a promise he would keep, no matter what. For starters, monk-sirs had no right to wear so much gold. Kaosan texts taught life through moderation, and wearing so much gold was not moderation.

Gashura continued to lead them through the ornate and ugly halls, until they finally reached an actual prayer part of the place. Shin coughed, the only way to prevent himself from talking out. What should have been a large hall with benches and a nice simple alter where people gathered to offer quiet prayers did not exist. In its place stood a large hall where sirs and humans appeared to be talking business. There were no benches, but instead chairs of immense comfort and even more wealth. This hall was obviously set for a set number of humans instead of various people. The sirs were actually taking money from the humans and Shin was pretty sure he saw no service being provided. Ryo clung to Shin again, pretending to be scared and he felt the waves of reassurance again. This time, Touma offered the greatest help, by providing an amusing image of Kaosu showing up and cleaning house of such vile transactions. Once his calm face was regained, he let out the breath he had been unknowingly been holding.

The "prayer" hall quieted as Gashura and the Saryuto led the five of them through. The rumors that had been flying around Sthiss were evidently were about to soar to new heights with the lead assassin of the Kamek leading five strangers through the hall. That was probably why there were so many people there. Sarenbo was no fool. He wanted all the humans, and probably the Sthissian spies, if any, that were there, to know his power. Whether he believed in the rumors or not, if Sarenbo dealt with the five of them, then he was sending a message to all of Sthiss that he was the one in charge and no one else. The unmitigated gall. As they approached the, yet again, ornate alter, they all bowed, as was customary. The Saryuto turned and left, however Gashura led them behind the alter. Shin made a point of tripping over the idiotic looking shrine, though it looked accidental. He came off as nervous, but he had done that more for himself. It was his way of telling this false temple that it was disgusting and needed to be torn down immediately. It was his way of starting to make amends, since there were a great many that had to be made for this jungle country.

Seiji sent a wave of pride. Shin was thinking in an honorable way and should be proud of his promise to himself. In a country where honor seemed to be forsaken, to want to change it to a more appropriate way of living was something to be proud of. The others reflected the same pride towards him.

Shin held his head high as they went through a garishly carved door behind the alter. He wouldn't let this country down. When he came back, he would fix things in any small way he could. Gashura came over and roughly picked him up, shoving him back towards the others. Shin hardly appreciated it, but he put up with it, taking faith in his promise. Everything would be alright. It had to be.

The small corridor behind the prayer hall was thankfully bland in comparison to everything they had seen thus far. The plane stone walls were barely tall enough to let Gashura, the tallest of them through, as he had to bend his head. They were also careful since the corridor was narrow, and the torches on the wall tended to reach a little close for some of their comfort. Ryo subtly reduced the flames around the five of them, but let them grew around the assassin that led them. Gashura certainly felt the heat, turning sideways in order to navigate the corridor without getting burnt. Everyone sent a pleased, silent chuckle to Ryo, greatly appreciating his methods to alleviate the tension.

The corridor regrettably ended with a small, plane, wooden door that Gashura opened to what Ryo informed them was he Kamek's greeting room. He also warned them that they were not supposed to react. Shin found himself biting on his cheek again. The room was plated entirely in gold, the candles lighting the room glowed, adding a more goldish glow to everything, making it appear even gaudier. As if the gold that lined the room wasn't enough, the gold was carved in what was probably perceived as heroic exploits, but what the five of them saw as horrendous treatment of the Sthissians. Displays of rape, torture, death, and even worse. The exploitation was sickening, and Shin had to quickly mumble a "Cho Ryo Ha" in order to stop Touma and Seiji from throwing up right there.

And sitting opposite from them, in a golden throne barely separated from the wall--Ryo informed them it hid a door to his private chambers--sat the fat and sweaty Kamek, his blue robes almost hidden in the sheer volume of gold that he wore. Shin had to keep himself from providing everyone with a display of what he'd recently eaten.

"Welcome to my humble sitting room," Sarenbo greeted, Gashura coming to his side.

_Some sitting room,_ Shin growled.

_Careful_, Seiji replied. _This isn't just gold. There are many hidden doors and peepholes. He has an army watching us_.

Touma cursed. _Then how the blazes do we get out of here? Sarenbo won't let us go easily._

_We wait,_ Shuu replied. "Greetings, High Kamek," Shuu greeted in return, bowing. The others followed suit. "To what do we owe the honor?"

Seiji mentally scoffed.

"I understand that you used to serve me?" the Kamek stated with a sly grin.

"Your monk-sirs have asked for my service when I was a mercenary. I provided them with the best that I could do."

"And you now hold an office for your king?"

"I hold an office for the Luga-Leader. She is not a king. She is someone chosen by the people to do what is best."

"Whatever," Sarenbo dismissed the correction. "Tell me, what is your duty to your king-Leader, or whatever you call him."

"Luna-Leader wanted me to become a historian. I am now the Strategist, Maps, and Battle History Keeper. _She_ thought best for me to use my wits under _her_ service before I die in battle." Shuu smiled. "Therefore, I am the center source of knowledge on previous battle strategies and how they were utilized, as well as what the causes and effects and pros and cons of such battle strategies were."

Sarenbo lazily waved his and replied, "So you are merely a glorified secretary."

"Luna-Leader thought it best to capitalize on my knowledge before the battlefield capitalized on my life. I believe it to be a wise decision."

"So tell me, Shuu-Historian," Sarenbo stated, "when did you receive this title?"

"The position was created while I was taking a break in the Outlet. My assistant Hashi took my envoy Date and servant M with him to find me. He found my trail. Hashi may not look like it, but he has a good eye for things, so he found me and informed me of my title. That was around during late spring. I'm on my way back to Luga now to work on my assignments."

The Kamek smiled. "I understand that you had quite an adventure this year, between the creation of your position and when you find out about your appointment."

"Oh?"

"Yes. An interesting incident in Hashiba?"

Shuu did not reply.

"I understand you tried to overthrow the king of Hashiba and place his indebted nephew on the throne for his debtors."

Shuu laughed loudly. "You've been misinformed, High Kamek! I was found innocent of that conspiracy theory. It was all concocted by the king's advisor Shuten, who has gone missing in fear for his life."

"So he cannot discount the accusations that have been brought up against him."

Shuu grinned. "I stayed in Hashiba and proved my innocence. He ran. What does that tell you?"

"That he is scared."

"If he has nothing to hide then he shouldn't be scared."

"Unless someone threatened his life so as to prove your innocence."

Shuu waved off the theory. "I proved my innocence to Hashiba no O-sama. You have any questions about that you can go visit him. But I forget. You don't leave your temple here often, do you? I wonder when the last time you saw the sun was."

Sarenbo ignored the question. "And yet there was talk of you fighting a Hashiban escort on the way to Hashiba."

"Shuten's accomplice, the illusionist Rajura." Shuu glanced around the golden room. "Your illusionists the Saryuto might know him, or are familiar with his arts of disguise as well."

Sarenbo stuttered for a moment. Shin smiled. Shuu was winning the wordplay. Unfortunately, Sarenbo seemed ready for yet more of the double talk. "Tell me, why is it there is no record of you taking work to go to Hashiba? Certainly, your record of being hired would have reached Gullog, the capital of Luga by now?"

Shuu was prepared for such a question. "Given my heavy service over the past few years, including my time under your monk-sirs, I was due for most of this year off. I started my 'vacation' if you will in the Outlet where I met an old friend of mine who needed a favor." Shuu chuckled. "Your priest-sirs can tell you that I don't like sitting still often. When he told me he wanted me to bodyguard the Hashiban prince, who had been spotted in the Outlet, I thought it might be fun. A favor isn't a contract, so Luna-Leader didn't receive paperwork since it wasn't required."

"And yet you are now a historian, a position that will make you sit still."

"That depends on how you implement your work. I plan on a lot of traveling with my office, to commanders who need advice. That way I'm still on the field without risking my life."

_Well played,_ Touma complimented.

_Thanks._

Sarenbo's eye twitched, almost minutely. Shin would have missed it if he wasn't unobtrusively glaring at the seat of all the corruption that he was starting to loath. He was glad that the Kamek was uncomfortable. Evidently, he had just realized that he wouldn't be able to get anywhere with Shuu. The Lugan was too good at thinking on his feet and having an answer for all of the Kamek's questions.

"Hashi, is it?" Sarenbo asked, turning to Touma. "You are Shuu-Historian's assistant are you not?"

Touma looked around nervously; though his mind smiled at his chance to rise to the challenge of wordplay with the Kamek. "Yes, Kamek-sir. I--I am."

"Why are you wearing your cap in my presence?"

Touma bowed his head, mentally asking Ryo to help him blush. Shin could feel Ryo pulling the heat from the candle's flames and surround Touma with it. "W--well, I had an incident. . .on the ship. . ." Touma's voice became too quiet to hear.

"Speak up, boy," Gashura growled.

"Some of the sailors. . .th--they thought it amusing to get a woman's hair-dye. . ."

"And what has that to do with you?" Sarenbo drawled.

"O--One night, when I s--slept, they thought it fit to use the dye my hair--and face." Touma's face continued to turn interesting shades of red despite the pure absurdity of the story. Ryo knew just how to lay the heat on to make the blush convincing.

"Your face?"

Shuu broke in, laughing. "You should have seen Hashi's face when he came above deck! He just barely got his face's color back before we docked! Just so that they could get his eyebrows to boot!"

Touma mentally roared with laughter, sending a mental picture of what Shuu had described. They all chuckled, adding the perfect touch of realism to their story.

"Show me your hair," the Kamek ordered.

"I--I'd rather not, Kamek-sir."

"_Pull off your hat!_"

Touma's shoulders bunched up to his head in a mock sign of fear before he reached up and pulled off his cap. His hair was blue because he was descended from Sora-Ao, the Tenkuu queen of Hashiba and he had a long forelock that tended to resist cutting or trimming. But to Sarenbo and Gashura, as well as several people hidden in the walls, it was a bad dye job as well as an ugly haircut given as a practical joke. It took a very long time for the laughter to die down.

Sarenbo whipped a stray tear from his eye. Finally, he looked to Touma, once again calm. "Hashi, is your name?"

"Yes."

"The name is Sthissian in sound, and you look Hashiban. Yet you are from Luga."

"I--I. . ." Touma faltered momentarily. Shin was grateful that his faux persona was the nervous type. "I was born near the Sthissian boarder. Ha--Hashi was quite common." Touma ran a hand through his hair, an added nervous gesture. Shin could sense that the Hashiban already had a plan. "My mother w--was half Hashiban."

"You look pure Hashiban."

"W--well, Hashibans. . .They follow their ancestry a lot. B--because they are so c--conscious of where they came from, they are picky on who they marry." Touma offered an odd chuckle. _There actually are people who are like that. . .I have a country of bizarre people._ He looked up, blush finally receding. "I'm told that b--because of that; Hashiban traits tend to dominate in each generation."

"Fascinating, I'm sure," the Kamek retorted. "What is your function as assistant?"

Touma held his head high, the impression of a nervous man taking pride in his work. "I aide in keeping track of strategies, maps and history. I can provide the information needed for analysis and add some of my own insight."

Gashura gave a short, stout laugh. "What insight does a bookworm have for the battlefield?"

The disguised Hashiban prince mentally smiled, though his voice sounded unsure of itself. "I--I've been told I have good eyes."

Shuu barked a laugh, slapping Touma on the shoulder, pitching him forward. "He's got that right," he replied. "Best set of eyes I've ever worked with. He was able to find my trail all the way up to and out of Hashiba, and can see a snake in human clothing a mile away."

Sarenbo's eyes lightened as he gazed to the blue-haired Hashiban. "He can spot deceivers, can he? Why was he never on the battlefield if he is so good?"

"No one ever saw his talents," Shuu replied.

"Might he come and work under my employ?" The Kamek looked greedily at Touma, want clearly in his eyes. Shin almost wondered if the desire was from the so called good eyes or something else.

"No," the Lugan drawled out, "I've found him and he ain't getting away from me."

"I am the Kamek! You must obey me!"

Touma raised his hand nervously. "Kamek-sir, we're Lugan. We follow Kayura-sama. You have no jurisdiction over us."

Sarenbo growled.

Shin smiled faintly in satisfaction.

"Elf. What is your name?" Poor Sarenbo was running out of ways to harass them. Shin took pride that the Kamek could not faze them. That meant they had a chance to get out of there. And at that particular moment, Shin could think of a thousand different places that he'd rather be.

_My turn,_ Seiji whispered. "My name is Date, Kamek-san."

"I am the Kamek. You call address me with the suffix -sir."

"Kamek-san," Seiji replied formally, "I owe no allegiance to you since I work with Shuu-san. Since you have no rule over him, you have no rule over me."

"But you are a light elf--"

"Korin."

"--so you follow the wise Kaosu-sama. Therefore, you follow me."

Seiji gave a small smile and shook his head. "I am afraid, Kamek-san, you do not understand the Korin honor system."

"Oh I don't, do I?"

_You just drove the last nail in your coffin, baka,_ Seiji commented. The four of them sent waves of amusement to the light elf. "If you don't understand our system, then perhaps a brief explanation is order." And so Seiji's lecture on elves began. Naturally, it was anything but brief since the honor system was quite complex. To make Sarenbo even more uncomfortable, he tolerated absolutely no interruptions, and as the morning waned into afternoon, Shin was certain he could almost hear snores coming from the walls. A Sthissian slave eventually brought a chair for Gashura as well as a meal for both him and the Kamek. Shin and his friends got none, though that was no surprise.

They kept themselves alert by mentally holding conversations. Shuu and Shin were both surprised to see that they could keep up with a great deal of what Seiji was saying, meaning that they had gotten to learn the Korin system quite well since they had gotten to know the light elf. Seiji sent some pride their way when they made the discovery as he droned on about honor systems.

Shin continually was amazed at just how much Seiji could talk! When they had first met, the Korin elf was almost perpetually silent, saying only things that were important. To listen to him have so much to say was a stark contradiction. Even recently, as Seiji spoke more and more with them, he never was able to attain this level of steady communication without even asking for a glass of water; let alone, it seemed take a breath.

_You'd better finish soon,_ Ryo told Seiji. _If the guards get any more bored, they might be replaced. If we have to run, lethargic guards are better to avoid than attentive._

_Too bad,_ the Korin replied. _I was hoping I'd actually put them to sleep._

"So you see, Kamek-san," Seiji stated with a dull flourish, "as long as I work with Shuu-san, I do not have any obligation to follow you."

There was a pause as Sarenbo's glazed eyes seemed to focus, as if he only just realized that the elf had finished speaking. "So tell me, Date--"

"Date-san."

"Why is it the elves have decided to give emissaries to other countries? I thought that only Hashiba had that treaty."

Seiji let out a long sigh, as if he were speaking to an unbelievably slow student. "As I have already stated when I was explaining about honor and elves, we Korin have noticed that by being an advisor to the Hashibans, many mutually beneficial events transpired as a result. We sought to experiment with other countries to see if such council would be advisable. Luga is the first test, since new offices can be created more easily than in other countries, and cannot dissolve quickly either."

"And that, High Kamek," added Shuu, "is the benefit of democracy. Maybe you should visit Luga sometime. It might prove enlightening."

Sarenbo growled in frustration. "Sthissian!" the Kamek spat. "Come forward!"

"Shuu-sama?" Ryo asked.

Shuu looked at Ryo for a very long time. Of all of them, Ryo was in the most danger if he were to face the Kamek since he was disguised as a Sthissian. Sarenbo could very well step off his golden throne and beat the disguised disciple with no interruptions. It would be a risky play. Shin wondered in the back of his mind why he himself hadn't been called upon.

"It's okay, Sana," Shuu stated, putting a hand on Ryo's shoulder.

"Sthissian," the Kamek hissed. "You are in impressive condition for a snake."

"Shuu-sama is very gracious."

"You were raised in this country, correct?"

"Yes."

"So you were taught the Kaosan religion."

"Yes."

"Do you believe in Kaosu?" Shin bristled at the lack of the polite -sama.

"Yes," Ryo replied with the same conviction he had way back when Shin tried to read the truth from him.

"How interesting. You work for Shuu-Historian, a believer in Kayura. Are you sure you believe in Kaosu?"

"Shuu-sama is very kind. He allows me to go to Kaosan temples regularly."

Sarenbo twitched at Ryo's short answers. "So you would know Kaosan texts if you visit so often."

"Yes."

Shin had a bad feeling that Sarenbo was going to question Ryo on very obscure texts that not even monk-sirs would know about. Shin wasn't sure how much of the texts he knew, since his methods of aiding Kaosu-sama were very different from the priest-sirs of the religion. Shin could definitely offer help if he could, since he had studied more texts than most priests and priestesses, but there were bound to be items that he didn't know.

_Don't worry, Shin,_ Ryo assured him. _I know every text like the back of my hand._

"So, snake, it is said that the disciple was bequeathed something shortly after the Fifty Year War. What was the name?"

"Ryo-sama was given two tigers," Ryo replied. "The white tiger with the eyes of burning brown fire-wood was given the name Byakuen. The black tiger with the eyes of golden flames was called Kokueno."

"How do you know such an obscure fact?"

"The house I was raised in had a monk-sir in the family. He drilled all of his Sthissians in the texts he so loved."

"What was the name of this priest?"

"Dala-sir. He died and I was passed to a new house."

"I knew Dala quite well. He had an army of snakes under him."

"Dala-sir merely wished to bestow knowledge on the unenlightened Sthissians."

"Not the Dala I knew," Sarenbo laughed. "How many times did you end up in his bed?"

"I was too young sir. I would have started that service two years after his death."

"You really were young. And you learned so much in such a short time?"

"Yes."

"Then you would know what is stated in book three, chapter nine, verse twenty-four, lines six through nine?"

"Yes. 'And the mighty Kaosu-sama saw the hateful animals of the jungles of Sthiss and sought to educate them. He called upon his most humble and noble servant, the loyal Kokuyoen to bring Kaosu-sama's words to the wild animals. The snake people rejoiced with the wise words of their new god and honored Kokuyoen with the seat of power in their country. Kaosu-sama was pleased with Kokuyoen's progress and bestowed many gifts upon him.' That is according to the translations of Naria-sir, Dala-sir's preferred version."

Shin thought back, something about Kokuyoen was edging around the corner of his mind. It had to do with how the name was sometimes translated. Shin got this answer when he looked to the walls of the golden sitting room. Many of the disgraceful images showed the human with large, bug-like eyes. That was a running joke Shin's classmates had when he was an apprentice monk. How only a bug-eyed human could bring religious beliefs to Sthissians. Since Shin had always found the idea of naming someone "bug-eyes" entertaining, he sent a mental picture to his friends, in an effort to keep them relaxed, in case anything happened.

"So you know ancient texts. How do you fair with newer ones?"

_Shin, I may need a little help with that. I've spent the past several years in preparation for you guys. I haven't had time to sit down and study the newer translations._

Shin sent a mental smile to Ryo. _I used to read the new texts as they came out and I have a fairly good memory. If he asks about any texts that came out this year, though, I'm at a loss._

"I get by," Ryo replied to the Kamek.

"Interesting." Sarenbo offered a cold smile. "Recently, a relative of Naria-sir has come out with new translations. His name is Mukara-sir. Do you know his works?"

Shin sent an affirmative to Ryo.

"Yes."

"What does he have to say about the Lugan belief in Kayura?"

Shin sent everything he knew about it to Ryo, both agreeing that the question was probably meant to provoke Shuu and Touma, perhaps Seiji as well, so they warned them that the writings would not be pleasant.

"Mukara-sir believes that Lugans are inferior because they choose to follow an undeveloped female deity who has given no proof of her existence, and is thereby false." Shuu gripped his staff tightly and Seiji fingered his sword. Touma made a show of being nervous again, but Shin could feel Touma's hands brushing up against his knives.

It was odd, the disguised priest noted. As a part of being polite, the Kamek had let them enter and still keep their weapons. After all, they were watched constantly since entering the compound and no move could be made against Sarenbo. However, only Shuu and Seiji were allowed weapons since they were the only ones who appeared armed in their party. Touma had hidden knives, and Ryo need only use his gift as a Rekka to regain his swords. Shin didn't have his spear with him. There was no way they could excuse a servant having a priest-sir's weapon. Yes, he was armed, he had several knives as well, but he wasn't as comfortable with them as Touma, the one who trained him, was and preferred to have a staff in his hands.

Sarenbo gestured toward the hideous wall. "Tell me, snake, doesn't what Mukara-sir say differ from what the older texts say?"

"Yes."

"So which is true? Newer or older? Wisdom or insight? Which should be followed by the believers of Kaosu?"

Ryo paused, his face deep in concentration. Shin wondered what answer Ryo could possibly give to satisfy the Kamek.

"Sarenbo-Kamek-sir," Ryo replied quietly, "that's a really easy question. Both should be followed."

Many faces landed on the floor.

"Explain that one to me!"

Ryo tilted his head. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Sana," Shuu interjected, getting up off the floor, "humor me. How can the old and new texts, that are so obviously different, be followed?"

"Because what the texts say doesn't matter as long as one follows the will of Kaosu-sama," Ryo replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The basic will of Kaosu-sama is to always place others before yourself. Your family. Your friends. Your country. Your society. The group comes before the individual. If the group believes in the old texts, then follow the old texts. If the group believes in the new, then follow the new. If you feel your group is following the wrong texts, try and better your group by showing them the benefits of the other writings."

Shin and the others mentally applauded Ryo. He blushed in honest humility.

"Did I say something wrong, Shuu-sama?"

"No, Sana, you didn't."

The Kamek stood, lifting his fat sweaty body off the throne. Gashura stood as well. The five of them tensed. Stepping off his golden perch, Sarenbo strode over to Ryo, who stepped back in apparent fear but in actuality he stepped back in distrust. The High Kamek of all Sthiss would have none of that, however. His hand flew out and he grabbed Ryo by the chin, pulling him closer. Seiji's hand grasped the hilt of his sword and Shuu lowered his staff to a casual appearing level that was also a defensive stance. Touma's hand reached for one of his knives and Shin did the same.

"You are a believer in Kaosu?" the Kamek sneered. "Ha! The snake who actually believes. Please. You no more believe in gods than I do." He spat into Ryo's face and kicked him back towards the others. Seiji went to the disciple's side to help him up. Shin, however, had taken all that he could stand. Sarenbo, no matter how he used his position was supposed to be a monk. A person who believed in Kaosu, no matter how perverted and twisted the service, it was still a service that monks would gladly take up because of their god. Shin had even had the privilege of meeting the deity and been given a task of utmost importance. Yet this fat slob didn't even think there was a god. He only used the clergy as a means of making himself rich and powerful. A way of fulfilling his sick desires and doing as he pleased.

The last straw finally broke.

"How dare you!" Shin demanded. The room suddenly dampened as the very air seemed to suddenly become drenched in water. "How dare you call yourself a human being, let alone a priest-sir?" His anger was finally given a chance to show itself since entering into this hell-hole called a temple. "Kaosu-sama's teachings are not to be cast aside simply because you don't agree with them or because they don't serve whatever purpose you are fulfilling! His teachings are meant to guide us through our lives so that we might become better and happier people!

"Part of making us happy is to live in moderation. You have so much gold in this palace that it can't even be called a temple! By having so much we lose sight of the other things that are important beyond physical comfort. Things like friends, family, or just being alive and being grateful for what we have. A true Kaosan-sir has principles!

"Do you think you can just throw them away and then do what you want? Look around you! This isn't happiness! This isn't making the country a better place! This is making it a worse place because you place one small group above a larger group that you have an obligation to! This country is not simply inhabited by humans! Humans are not the only people that sirs are supposed to aide! This country has Sthissians, and together, Sthissians and humans make up a country that _you_," Shin pointed to the miscreant before him, "as a leader have a duty to work _for_. It doesn't matter how a government is set up! The world is full of monarchies, elders, democracies, and theocracies. Each has a different way of trying to make the country a better place, but the aim of the leaders in _every_ government is to be there for the people!

"You just throw your power around to serve yourself! _Yourself_! Arago is the one who places the individual above the group, and you have disgraced your robes by even _daring_ to _think_, let alone _act_ as such a monster would have! You have a harem to serve your whims whenever _you_ feel the need. Does it matter that _they_ might not want your attentions? Or are _your_ needs the only ones that matter? And how have you managed to stay in power for so long? Is it because you run more than a theocracy? Because what you run is closer to a dictatorship? How often have you sent hardworking mercenaries to their death due to a rebellion that you have caused?

"Do you even realize that you cause any uprising and rebellion because the oppressed have a _right_ to demand better conditions? Or did you know exactly what you were doing? I wouldn't put it past you to deliberately let false information slip to any Sthissian faction that had a chance to fight you just so you could enjoy watching their suffering!

"Sthissians aren't animals to be controlled! They are thinking beings that deserve the same respect and honor that you would give another human or an elf! By not giving them what they have more than _earned_, you are no better than the monster you make these people out to be!" Shin finally finished his enraged speech, silence deafening all of them as his voice finally echoed away into nothingness.

"It's the assassin!" Gashura finally shouted. "The servant! Kill him!"

Dozens of doors burst open around them as the guards who had been watching everything flooded into the room. Shin's anger, however, was far from dry.

"Cho Ryu Ha!"

A pillar of water surrounded him, reaching up and breaking through ceiling after ceiling until it reached up into the sky and dropped pellets of hard water down onto the palace, tearing into the walls, breaking windows, shattering roof tiles, and gently refreshing the plants that grew on the compound. The blasphemous temple felt Shin's anger at the establishment, but Shin did not notice it. In his hands he finally had the spear of a priest-sir, forged out of water and glittering like sapphires and pearls. With one slash, the cold gold that hung around the Kamek's neck clattered away, leaving the pompous tyrant so shocked that he fainted.

The next thing Shin was aware of was a large weight slamming itself to his back. It was Gashura. Though knocked down and his concentration faltered, he was far from finished. The humidity of the country came to his aide, gathering around the lead assassin of the corrupt country and pulling him off.

"People like you," Shin growled, "who let such atrocities continue are no better than the Kamek himself. You care nothing for the people you kill, as long as you have money in your purse. What if someone killed you? For no other reason than to fill his hand with gold? Would you find such a death satisfactory for yourself?"

"And what makes you any different than me?" Gashura retorted. "You're killing for yourself as well. Only instead of gold, you get to fulfill your high-minded ideals."

"I have killed no one," Shin replied. "Sarenbo is alive and well. All I did was strip him of some of the wealth that he has done nothing to deserve. I never came here to fix the country. We truly were just passing through. But thanks to you and that disgrace to the robes, you can be assured that I will do all that I can in order to ensure that this hell is demolished. You can thank yourselves for that."

"You freak," Gashura spat. "Call back the snakes you have pumping water into here."

Shin smiled coldly. "I have no need of snakes to pump water. I am merely a humble servant of Kaosu-sama. The water is merely his own way of expressing his displeasure with this corrupted and defiling system."

Gashura returned the cold smile and the water threw him back to the wall, successfully knocking him out. Shin turned, noticing that there were still many guards to deal with. Only then did he realize exactly what he had done, and the trouble he was in.

"Oh dear."

* * *

Kaosu looked up from his observation of his flowers and gazed west, towards the jungle country of Sthiss.

"I see you are handling much more than the endgame, Kayura-san," he said to no one in particular. "I thank you for correcting that horrid problem Arago-san and I placed upon you. Well played."


	22. Sthiss 21

Well, it goes without saying, all heck broke loose.

Shuu dove for the door that they had come through when Shin called forth his magic. The mercenary ran down the hall, hearing footsteps behind him and hoping the others were following his lead. He heard Ryo mutter a "So En Zan," and a wall a fire erupted somewhere behind him, effectively blocking off any pursuit. Shuu also thought he heard a magic phrase he had not heard before, but did not bother to contemplate such things as he continued to run down the hall.

Shuu burst into the prayer hall to find that it, too, had become a mass of chaos. Sthissians seemed to be coming out of the woodwork, or gold work as the case may be, and the supposedly peaceful merchants and priests had weapons of all sorts.

"This doesn't look good," he muttered.

"No, it doesn't," Ryo said next to him. "The best way out of here is to split up. We can't defend each other all that much in this much chaos. We're bound to get separated anyway."

Shuu nodded, spying Touma up in the rafters high above the fight. "Where are Seiji and Shin?"

"Still in that room," Ryo said grimly. "They have some people that they need to meet."

"That endgame prophecy future telling thing?" Shuu asked, suddenly concerned for his two friends.

"Yes."

Shuu nodded, accepting it as fact. "I'll make a diversion. You use that Rekka gift of yours and get to the horses. If we want any chance at getting the blazed curses out of this country, we'll need them."

"Got you."

Shuu raised his staff, twirling it over his head and letting a feral grin cover his face. "What an interesting little brawl!" he called out. "Mind if I joined the party?"

His challenge was met with great enthusiasm, and he happily started fighting his way through the throng of warriors. Touma covered him from any aerial attacks such as arrows or poisoned darts. Shuu admitted being tempted to use his magic, but he understood that most of these people were fighting because it was all they knew how to do. Sthiss was too messed up a country to know any better. So he instead settled himself with his fists and his staff and did the mercenary's proud in his ability to make headway. The near continual practice with the other four had not only kept Shuu in shape, but also honed his fighting abilities to the finest they had ever been.

"Kou Rai Sei!"

Shuu straightened. That was no language he had ever heard before. In fact, it sounded like a magic phrase. He quickly looked around, expecting something like an earthquake or a tsunami or something. Instead he saw an odd yellow strip of light that shot over his head and arced up to Touma. It hit the blue haired prince dead on, and with a grunt heard even over the din of the palace sized brawl, began to fall from the heights.

Well, that certainly wouldn't do. Shuu followed the yellow light visually, still fighting, and saw a read headed Hashiban. Shuten! He was here! Well, of course, Shuu reminded himself. He had stolen away on the ship as the second mate through the illusions of the Masho captain. Shuu just didn't expect them here. The Masho seemed too subtle for an out and out battle.

Reneging on his promise on to not level the palace, Shuu roundhoused his staff; leveling everyone around him and effectively giving him a few seconds of quiet. That was all he needed as he called out to his magic.

"Gen Ta Sai!" he shouted. Twirling his staff again over his head, he slammed it onto the ground. As it bounced back up the stone at his feet vibrated and increasing waves until the entire room, and no doubt, the entire palace was shaking in his controlled earthquake. Tremors shook all the way to Lower Suiss, and the locals stumbled, looking around for the reason of the sudden quake.

The entire structure of the temple palace shook and rocked, and everyone except for Shuu was off their feet. Shuten finally lost concentration, and the yellow light disappeared. Shuu nodded and made a run for Touma, still falling, if much slower, to the ground. He had almost made it when he heard another magical phrase.

"To Chi Mou!"

"What the cursed blazes?" Shuu cursed as fine white strings, almost like those of a web, suddenly shot up ahead of him. The Lugan mercenary tried to slow down, but it was too late. Raising his arms in front of his face in an attempt to block, Shuu ran through the webbing; tucked and rolled on a free patch of floor. The priests and Sthissians alike were quickly rising to their feet, glaring at the mercenary because he was the source of the interruption.

This, obviously, was not a good time to get caught in webbing. Shuu struggled to free his hands and arms, but to no avail. It was too sticky and too strong. Cursing a blue streak, he made another run for it. If he could just get out of the prayer hall, the rest of the palace would be a snap and he would be able to get to the meeting place.

It was not to be, however. A white haired man with one eye suddenly appeared in front of him and rammed his fist in Shuu's unprotected face. Dazed by the force of the blow, Shuu struggled to regain the mechanics of his body.

"You do know that it's only an illusion that's holding you?" the white haired man said. "The only thing trapping your arms is you mind." He grinned suddenly, a hand running through his fine hair. The man's locks seemed to flick away, creating more webbing that collected in his hand. Negligently, he tossed it onto Shuu, trapping him even more. "The mighty Shuu Rei Fuan, caught by a simple sleight of hand and trick of the eye. It's a wonder you became as famous as you did. Very well then, enjoy the beating you'll get while you wear the mantle of the high Kamek. To Chi Mou!"

Dead realization sank into Shuu. This was the Gen illusionist that was on the ship. The sick captain Rajura. An odd tickling sensation waved over Shuu, and when he looked down he found that he must have gained over fifty pounds and was wearing a monk-sir's robes.

"What on earth?"

"It's the high Kamek!" someone shouted. "Get him now, while he separated from his assassin!"

The last thing Shuu saw was a throng of enraged Sthissians looking to kill him, and he realized too late that Rajura had used his magic to make him look like Sarenbo.

* * *

Touma meanwhile was having his own problems. After using his magic to fly up to the rafters of the prayer hall, he had hoped he would act as an unseen cover for the other four as they made their escape. Only Shuu and Ryo came out of the narrow hall, however. Shin and Seiji were nowhere in sight. That boded ill, and Touma foresaw a rescue mission in his near future.

That thought had done him in; giving him the moment's distraction to let his guard drop and let what must have been one of the Masho to attack him. The yellow light enveloped him and seemed to suck the energy right out of him. Touma threw all his strength into staying afloat, knowing that a fall from the height he was at would kill him and if not, then the riot on the ground would.

When the magic finally faded, Touma continued to lower himself. No one had seen him as yet, so he landed himself softly in a corner. Shuu had used his magic to create an earthquake, and it took several moments for everyone to get back on their feet. Touma used that time to exit the prayer hall and race through the palace.

Humans and Sthissian's alike were running and fighting everywhere, and Touma used the confusion to his advantage in exiting the palace.

The sun momentarily blinded him as he entered the courtyard.

"Hashiba Touma-sama."

Touma jerked up. "Shuten?"

"The same." He stood directly in front of the wayward prince, kusari-gama in hand and looking ready to kill. "I owe you for the escapades in Tou Hashiba."

The blue haired prince rolled his eyes but drew his daggers. "I didn't do anything. You did it to yourself."

"I was seeking to better the country by removing a monarchy that based its success on convenient scapegoats called Oni. You remember what an Oni is, correct? You learned about them for the first time during the trial, as I recall."

Touma nodded gravely. "'A person or family that is marked for the rest of their life because of a deed done against the country.' I remember."

"As counselor and advisor to your perverted uncle, I learned a great many things about the Oni mark. One interesting little factoid that you might find fascinating is that there were many families who were marked even though they had done nothing wrong."

"Like I'll believe anything you say," Touma spat, ready to take flight at a moment's notice.

"You can look it up when you get home," Shuten said easily, his green eyes oddly blazing. "Throughout the country's history, there have been hundreds of families declared an Oni for things as stupid as the current king not liking the family, or not being ready to hear political or governmental advice that would years later be proved beneficial to the country. The Oni mark is used in place of assassination. People of unpopular standing are not murdered, they are shunned. It is a fate worse than death, in many ways. Of that, I can speak from personal experience."

"So everything you've done is for personal vendetta," Touma summed up. "I see why Arago would pick the likes of you."

"What?"

"Didn't he tell you?" Touma said, standing up straighter. The idea of a psychological advantage appealed to the Tenkuu, so he played it up for all it was worth. "Do you know what you are fighting for? You're fighting for a world where everyone gets what they want when they want it."

"A pleasant world, I think."

"Yes," Touma said grandly. "A wonderful world. Can you imagine how many innocent people will die? The world would be in a constant state of turmoil because nobody would agree on anything, and Arago forbid that there should be any compromise. War would be an event to last all eternity. Think about that next time you want to try an overthrow a monarchy."

Shuten glared at Touma with unrestrained hatred. Then he charged, throwing the claw of his weapon at Touma. The prince shouted, "Shin Ku Ha!" and rose into the air. He was not fast enough, and the claw quickly wrapped around his ankle and the Kitsune yanked, breaking the bones it was wrapped around. The prince; still drained from what must have been Shuten's maho, could not compensate and slammed back into the ground. Instead, he raised his hands, drawing an imaginary bow.

"Shin Ku Ha!" The winds gathered into the imaginary arrow, a dark blue and golden light gathering until it was blinding to all but those with magic.

The redheaded Shuten was ready for this, gathering his own magic. "Kou Rai Sei!" Golden energy gathered around him and his weapon, turning an odd shade of red.

The pair released their energy at the exact same time and met in the space precisely halfway between them. The blue and gold disrupted into an explosion, the energy shooting everywhere and destroying anything it touched. The cloudy weather disappeared into a bright blue sky, and the surrounding wings of the palace collapsed after already being weakened by the earthquake Shuu had created earlier.

Touma immediately shot into the air, avoiding the energy where he could and trying not to get too burned by what he couldn't. Shuten could not follow him in the sky, and Touma hoped he had enough strength left in him to get to the jungle. There, he could land and limp his way to the meeting place.

At least, that was what he hoped.

* * *

"Ankoku Cho Uhigiri!"

The meeting room plunged into darkness, but not before two of the Troopers escaped. Anubisu cursed as he saw the mercenary and Sanada Ryo run down the narrow hall just before the darkness reached them.

"Where's the sir?" Naaza asked. "I can't see."

Anubisu quickly located the monk-sir's chi. "Thirty paces directly to your left. He's right next to a hidden door you can use to get out of this."

"Perfect."

"Have fun ripping up the palace."

"I will. You have fun killing that Korin."

Anubisu grinned. "Oh, I will."

Naaza turned left and ran blindly into the dark. The Yami could hear him drawing his swords before shouting his magical phrase, "Ja Ga Ken," and an explosion immediately followed. Anubisu felt the two leave his darkness, and their chi thereby disappeared as a result.

The Korin felt this too, but obviously thought something very different.

"Shin? Shin! Where are you? What happened? Shin!"

Anubisu let himself laugh. "Shin is no longer with us," he said, knowing full well the double meaning of his words. He silently drew his sword and made his way to the Korin elf. His pale coloring made him a beacon in this pitch darkness.

"Who are you?"

"Yami Anubisu. And you are Korin Seiji. Does anything else really need to be said?"

Seiji whirled, looking around for his opponent and reaching for his sword.

Anubisu would have none of that; and swung his sword at the light long ear. To his enemy's credit, he was able to dodge and avoid a lethal blow. Seiji had lifted his arm up in defense when he had finally sensed the attack. The blade cut deep, and the light elf grunted as the pain jutted itself into feeling.

"Your senses are still about you," Anubisu complimented. "You're the first to still have them. It must be your magic."

Seiji muttered something under his breath and a faint green light emanated from the sheath of his sword. Drawing the blade, Anubisu saw that Seiji had enchanted his blade to glow in the darkness.

"That will do you little good, Korin," the Yami admonished. "So little light will hardly do you any good." Anubisu cloaked himself in shadows and again moved in to attack. This time, however, the Korin blocked properly with his sword, and Anubisu saw that he had damaged his non sword arm with the first swipe. He bit back a swear as he swung again and was blocked again.

"Your maho element is darkness?" Seiji asked.

"It is the winter. The cold, the snow, and the dark."

"Mine is light. The sun, its warmth, and its purity."

"Poetic," Anubisu replied politely. "It will do you no good, for darkness is also purity. Your failure to understand that will be your undoing." Anubisu concentrated his magic, and then pointed his blade at Seiji. "Ankoku Cho Uhigiri." Obeying his commands, the darkness invaded Seiji's eyes and senses, and the light elf was suddenly completely blind.

"Now try and see how well you can do." Anubisu paused, then added, "Poor choice of words, I know."

"You are so polite," Seiji replied, gritting his teeth. "One would think you were a Korin with your demeanor."

"You dare call me a Korin?" Anubisu demanded. He strode up to his counterpart and slammed the hilt of his sword into the long-ear's head. Seiji stumbled back and clattered to the ground, his sword circling away. The Yami moved to kick the light elf while he was down, but his body resisted the action, his mind registering that it would be dishonorable. So what? Were the Yami any more honorable to him than this Korin? Did they deserve the polite comments and reservations in fighting? No! But it was still dishonorable to kick a warrior while he was down, and Anubisu found himself frozen against the action. Gods curse it! The Doko most likely did not have such restraining scruples.

Seiji slowly, jerkily, made his way back to his feet. His blind eyes were unfocused, and Anubisu realized he must have brought about a more serious head injury than he had intended. Suddenly, he regretted hitting the light elf.

What was he talking about? The Korin deserved this!

"Yami Anubisu," Seiji said. His voice was steady even if his feet were not. "You no doubt heard my explanation of Korin honor. Ponder that while you, too, are blinded with what you call 'pure' darkness; and know that it is a darkness purified by light. Rai Ko Zan!"

Seiji became what could only be described as a being of light. The green maho poured out of him in such blinding degrees that Anubisu found his entire person shaking in pain. The light shot through him on so many levels he could not comprehend. His eyes saw white, his body felt red, and his mind screamed in agonizing yellow. Anubisu strove to reach the blessed coolness of the black; it's comforting, quiet, and empty depths. Seiji would not allow it, and continued to release all of his magic at once until Anubisu was curled in a tight ball, shaking and moaning incoherently.

* * *

His sight and senses returned; Seiji slumped to the floor, clutching his injured arm. He had dared not reveal to the Yami that he could heal, and the pain was a hot iron on his nerves. Mechanically, he used the little magic he had spared to stop the bleeding. His vision was slightly blurry, and he found he had trouble focusing. He struggled past it, however, and again fought to his feet and gathered his sword. Seiji looked at the moaning Anubisu. He found himself wondering if he had gone too far.

But he was a Yami. Surely, he deserved it.

Right?

* * *

Naaza didn't bother speaking, as the others had. He had no business for such pleasantries. Besides, it never did any good to identify yourself. If the operation failed, then the enemy knew your name and could seek you out with that vital piece of information.

So instead, he merely pressed his attack against the magical sir spear and the utterly shocked sir. He continually asked, "What are you doing? Can't we talk about this?" He obviously didn't have a clue. Talk didn't do any good against the likes of him. Any Sthissian who tried to "talk" to a sir died. Force was the only thing they understood, so force would be what he got.

"Ja Ga Ken!" Naaza lashed his swords out and the poison he had gathered on them flew out on the momentum. Shin shouted his own magic, "Cho Ryu Ha!" and a water shield would rise up to defend himself.

Gods curse it, all he did was defend! It was no fun killing him if he didn't put up a fight. So Naaza continued to press the attack, using his magic to lace all of his swords together in a terrifying whip and lashed it at the sir. The water shield continued to bounce it off, causing the poison laced whip to crack off the walls, melting their gold audacity at the touch. They had fought their way to an already deserted wing of the palace. Bodies from the chaos that had filled the gold building, littered the floor, and blood stained the plush carpets. The image seemed to disturb the monk-sir; his face kept becoming more and more horrified.

Naaza could not think of any way to exploit the horror, so instead he continued to attack. Shin had a very tight defense; a challenge to break through, but Naaza was in no mood to try and analyze a way around it. That was for people like Rajura and the gods cursed Shuten. Instead, Naaza wore him down. Naaza had excellent stamina, and continually changed the nature of his attacks to so that no particular part of his body got tired. Shin, meanwhile, was perpetually using his arms to swing his spear to block the swords, or his maho to shield the poison. No other sequences were used, and the sir was wearing down. Slower than Naaza had expected, but then again, he should have realized that Kaosu would only pick the finest to use.

Finally, an opening presented itself. Naaza had gotten a feel for Shin's defensive patterns, and saw a weakness in his different combinations. Grinning somewhat madly, he threw away his swords. As expected, Shin was momentarily surprised, and Naaza used that moment to dive on the sir and knock his spear away.

"Ja Ga Ken!" he shouted, focusing all his poison into his gloves as he pressed them against the sir's throat.

Shin gasped for breath, but could only breathe the fouled air that Naaza was unleashing. His lungs burned and his body shook in a vain attempt to breath.

Suddenly, the humidity of the hallway began to rise, as it had in the meeting room, meaning that the magic was coming to his aide. Naaza ignored it and moved to press his attack. He only needed a minute to crush Shin's windpipe.

"Naaza!"

The Doko looked up to see Rajura, the mercenary slung over his shoulder.

"What?" he demanded.

"The sirs are on their way. They're shooting arrows at everything that moves. If we don't get out of here now, we're not going to!"

Indecision froze Naaza. Stay, kill Shin and die without being able to relish in it? Or leave and never have the opportunity to be this close to killing him again?

Rajura must have seen the indecision. He gestured to the walls around him.

"Collapse the walls. Bury him and he'll die slowly."

The idea had merit. Naaza considered the possibility for a moment before he grinned evilly. He released his grip on Shin, left him gasping for breath as the humidity immediately dropped. Naaza quickly picked up his swords and embedded each on in the walls. Concentrating briefly, he raised his hands. "Ja Ga Ken." The poison dripped from the swords and into the walls, weakening their structure. Naaza jerked his hands back, and the swords pulled themselves from the walls and back toward him, collapsing he walls as he did so.

He turned to Rajura, and the pair grinned happily. "Let's go before we're caught."

The one eyed Gen nodded. "Like evading mercs back home. Come on."

The pair left Shin to his death.

* * *

Ryo was, obviously, the first to arrive at the meeting place. He passed the last of the giant trees and entered the moderate sized clearing with the seven horses in tow, unsurprised to find no one there. He suspected that he was the only one to escape without hassle.

The Rekka changed back into his natural form, having used the shape of a horse to get away. Tying the mounts on a low branch, he carefully made his way to the mound, formerly a shack. It was circular, like all Sthissian huts, and extended several feet into the earth. Looking around, he cleared out the animals that had taken shelter there, politely informing them that they needed to borrow the property. That done, he cleared out what he could, not disturbing the existing homes of the animals.

With little in the way of anything else to do, he went back outside the hovel and waited.

The first to arrive was Seiji. The pale elf, Ryo could sense, was severely drained of his magic and holding his left arm to his chest. A closer look revealed unfocused eyes. A concussion?

"I see Anubisu wasn't very lenient on you," Ryo said slowly as he moved to help his friend.

"He was not," Seiji said. He looked to Ryo, again trying to focus his eyes. It only seemed to cause him pain, and he groaned as he finally sank to the ground. Ryo steadied him. "I have such a headache."

"Do you have a concussion?" Ryo asked, concerned.

"I do not think so, but I have only been aggravating it on my way here; and my arm," his voice trailed off, as well as his focus.

Ryo gingerly took the blood stained arm and examined it. The bleeding had stopped and it was partly healed, Seiji's green magic outlining where the skin was mended. Ryo went to Seiji's mount and pulled out the Korin elf's collection of healing herbs as well as the ones he had bought while he was disguised as a Sthissian. Carrying them over, he and Seiji began treating the injuries.

Gently, Ryo cleaned the gash with clean water while Seiji looked over his supplies and determined what he needed to make a disinfectant. He gave Ryo the directions and the Rekka followed them, creating a thick gel that he rubbed liberally into the gash. Seiji bit his lip against the stinging, but otherwise gave no other displays of sudden pain. Ryo carefully wrapped the arm with a rag.

"That helps a lot," Seiji said. His eyes had regained a little of their focus. "I hope that the others are not as injured. I will not be able to use my maho for what feels like several days."

"You look like it. What did you do?"

There was a long pause before Seiji replied. "Something desperate. Yami Anubisu had locked me in a cage of darkness. I could not get out, I could not even see or sense. I released almost all my maho in a concentrated burst of light and wrapped it around Anubisu. His maho is darkness, and. . ." Seiji trailed off, and Ryo respected the end of the conversation. He could take a good guess as to what happened. He wondered if Seiji knew how long those affects would likely last.

"How is your head?" Ryo offered the change in subject.

"Clearer. A good night’s rest and a mixture I will make later will help even more."

"Do you have any idea what happened to the others?"

"Something happened to Shin. One of the Masho shouted something like 'Jaga Kan', or something similar, and his chi completely disappeared. The others, I do not know."

Ryo nodded. "Shuu was bullying his way through the prayer hall, last I saw him, and Touma was giving him back up. There was an earthquake later on, and beyond that I don't know."

"I felt the earthquake," Seiji said, his face twisting as the memory hit him. "I was almost knocked completely unconscious."

Ryo made a half laugh. "That would have been problematic." He took another bandage rag and gingerly wrapped it around Seiji's head over a second bandage that was held over the large bruise and cut that was on the Korin elf's temple.

When that was complete, Seiji said, "If you don't mind, I'm going to try and sleep. Much as I might wish otherwise, the others might be hurt worse than me and I need to get my strength back as soon as possible."

Ryo nodded. "I understand. Here, I've set up some of the bedrolls in the hovel. Let me help you there."

"Thank you."

Ryo did so, and Seiji was soon fast asleep, so the Rekka went back outside and waited for the others.

An hour later, Touma quite literally dropped in. The ten foot fall was right above Ryo. There was a reprising thud.

"Ow! God's curse it!"

"Hey! Who's hand was that?"

"Oof! Watch the foot, watch the foot!!"

"Ooooow!"

"Not that way!"

"Your elbow goes the other way!"

"Not until you get your knee out of my side!"

It took a moment to disentangle themselves, but they did finally manage it.

When Ryo finally got a good look at Touma, his happy face fell immediately to one of concern.

"Whoever started the fire, it wasn't me!"

Touma waved Ryo off, sitting delicately. "I know it wasn't you. It was me. Well," he quickly explained when he saw Ryo's confused look, "me and Shuten. We both threw our energies at each other and it sort of exploded into different bits of light. I was in the air soon after, and couldn't dodge all of it." Touma tenderly pulled off his shirt and outer layers, displaying burns of light to moderate degrees all over his body. "Not bad, all things considering. You should see Upper Suiss. It's an absolute mess because of that."

"Mess?" Ryo asked before murmuring his magic phrase and pulling some of the heat from Touma's burns.

"Ah, that feels good. Yeah. Everywhere the lights hit, it burst into some sort of after explosion. I think we managed to level half the city before it finally dissipated itself."

"That's hardly encouraging," Ryo replied.

"No," Touma said. "If I'd known what was going to happen, I would have never had tried it."

Ryo looked down sheepishly. "That's probably my fault. I can only theorize so much when magic is used. Badamon-baka almost never uses his magic, and we never really faced off in a maho battle. I could only guess at what would happen."

Again, Touma waved Ryo off. "We can't expect you to know everything. Just almost everything." He laughed at his joke and looked around. "Where's the clean water?"

"Here," Ryo answered as he began to treat Touma. "How are your reserves?"

"Physical or maho?"

"Both, I guess."

"Well, mentally I'm about spent. That's the longest I've ever flown, and it took more concentration because I have less maho power. Shuten drained me pretty good, but the more I was flying, the more maho I got. The wind, you see." Ryo nodded as took the gel he had helped Seiji make and apply it to the worst of the burns. "Physically, meanwhile, I think I broke my ankle."

"You did? Why didn't you say so?" Ryo stopped what he was doing and pulled off Touma's shoes. The blue haired prince winced in pain and then grunted. "That's a bad break. What happened?"

"Shuten favors a kusari-gama. He wrapped an end around my ankle and pulled cursed hard. Cursed near took my foot off."

"You broke more than a few bones. I need some sticks to make a brace. Seiji used up nearly all his magic; he won't be able to heal that just yet."

"Is he okay?" Touma asked; his face laced with worry.

"He's sleeping off the worst of it right now."

Touma nodded and braced himself as Ryo wrapped the ankle. The Rekka then continued went back to lathering the gel on the prince's burns.

He had just about used up the last of the gel when Seiji came out. His eyes were finally focused, and some of his color had returned. "You look better than before."

"I feel better. Stiff and weak, but better. Touma?"

"A few burns. A broken ankle. Nothing to complain about. Any battle you can walk away from, you know."

Seiji knelt down by the wrapped ankle. "Broken?" he asked.

Touma shook his head. "Don't even think about it. Get rested first."

"I am rested enough to do this," Seiji insisted. "Not much more, but this is enough."

Ignoring both Ryo and Touma, Seiji placed his hands on either side of the broken ankle and closed his eyes. "Rai Ko Zan."

Touma gasped as his bones began to rejoin, and Ryo had to hold him down as the pain laced through his body. For what seemed an eternity, nothing happened other than the excruciating pain, and then it all stopped. Seiji slumped down, breathing heavily. Ryo immediately went to him, assessing the damage. Touma, not even thinking about his injured foot, also went to see Seiji.

"Okay," he said weakly. "Maybe not quite enough. I'm going back to bed."

Ryo nodded. "You should be fine in the morning. Or at least have enough energy to do any more healing if necessary."

"No arguments there." And with that, Seiji was again asleep.

"Well," Touma said merrily. "Things are going just great. I can just imagine how bad off Shin and Shuu are."

Ryo blinked. "You haven't seen them?"

Touma blinked. "If I had I would have given them a lift. You mean they aren't back yet?"

"No. You and Seiji are the only other ones here."

"That's bad. That's very bad."

Ryo quickly closed his eyes and mentally sought out where the missing pair was. He found both of them quickly. "They're unconscious. Both of them."

"We'll have to wait until tonight. The city is a complete mess right now," Touma said. "Under cover of dark, we'll have an easier time sneaking in. Do you know where they are?"

Ryo shook his head. "They would have to be awake for that."

"Naturally," Touma said sourly as he made a face. "Can you tell if they're okay?"

"Find out yourself," Ryo said. "I'm not the only one with a mental link to the others, you know."

"But I'm not that good at it."

"Because you keep trying to figure out how it works when it just. . . works. Go on, try to seek them out."

Touma seemed to be glaring at Ryo in the late afternoon, but closed his eyes and drew his brow together. Ryo watched with both his eyes and his head. Touma took a moment to calm some of his still-frayed nerves, and tried to send out his thoughts. It didn't work the first time, but it did the second. Ryo followed the prince's consciousness as it traveled to the half ruined city of Suiss and to Shin and Shuu.

"Shin's having trouble breathing," Touma said slowly. "I feel pressure. Is that bad?"

"No, merely a hint of where he is. It narrows down the search. Now try Shuu."

Touma nodded and sent himself out again. "He's breathing fine. That's a relief. But I can't tell anything else."

Ryo nodded. "He'll be the hard one to find."

"As if finding Shin will be a walk in a Hashiban park," Touma muttered. "Pressure and difficulty breathing could mean anything."

"Maybe," Ryo said. "Maybe. I have a few ideas. We'll talk more tonight. You I want in one of those bedrolls in the hovel. You're going to need all the strength you can muster, especially if Seiji isn't coming with us."

"I hear you there. I'll see you tonight."


	23. Sthiss 22

"Are we clear?"

"Not yet. Now."

Rajura hefted the Lugan mercenary, wrapped in a woven mat to look like a corpse, over his shoulder and followed Naaza down the winding paths of Lower Suiss. It was an uproar even this far down from the palace, and Sthissians ran everywhere. Rajura suspected that all the factions were jumping on this opportunity, even if they didn't have the faintest clue as to how to make use of it. So Rajura had used his magic to make himself a Sthissian, and followed Naaza has he wound and double backed his way through the paths and side alleys to their hut. They would most likely be unable to stay there much longer, though Rajura already had plans. Hence the deadweight on his shoulder.

"Wait, wait."

"Hurry up, this Lugan is as heavy as Sarenbo himself."

"Don't say that name so loudly," Naaza hissed. "This way. We're almost there."

They made another dash through the paths and the Gen saw the hovel. The pair put on a burst of speed and made it in without incident.

Inside, the Kitsune Shuten was pacing about. "What the blazes took you?" he demanded. "I've just about gone out of my mind!"

"Bite your tongue," the Doko spat. "We're here, aren't we?"

Shuten bypassed him. "Who's the corpse?"

Rajura tossed the Lugan unceremoniously onto the ground. "The Lugan Trooper. I have plans for him."

"Whatever," Shuten muttered, turning back to Naaza. "You have to fix the Yami, Anubisu."

Both Rajura and Naaza blinked. "What?"

Shuten gestured to one of the cots where Anubisu lay. His eyes were wide open, staring blankly at nothing.

"What?"

"I just got him to stop moaning a few minutes ago. I practically had to drag him back here. It has something to do with maho, I can see dark green around him faintly, but beyond that I don't have a clue what happened to him. You were able to fix Rajura, see if you can fix him."

Naaza, obviously concerned because he didn't even seem to register the insult, knelt by Anubisu. He placed a gloved a hand on the Yami's forehead, muttering "Ja Ga Ken." Rajura could sense the maho working its way through Anubisu. It looked as though it would take a while, so Rajura moved to Shuu. Ripping away some of the mat that was covering him, he gazed at the slightly bruised face. The Trooper had taken quite a beating, but he had the stamina his reputation had mentioned. Aside from many cuts and bruises, Shuu had no serious injuries.

"What are you doing?" Shuten asked, sitting on the ground by the toppled Shuu.

"Studying my target," Rajura answered. "To Chi Mou." Slowly, he entered the mind of Shuu, examining it.

How long he remained that way, he was not sure. When he retreated back into his own consciousness, Naaza had finished doing whatever he was doing to Anubisu, and Shuten was nodding off on one of the cots.

"How did it go?" Naaza asked.

"It will be difficult no matter whose mind I'm using. He is no exception. You?"

"There's nothing I can do," the Doko sighed. "There's no poison in him, and nothing physically wrong."

Rajura nodded. "How long will he be like that?"

"Until that cursed green magic wears off. When it does, we have to leave."

Nodding again, the Gen turned back to Shuu. "I'll most likely be out of commission for a few hours after this. Makes sure nobody disturbs me."

"I've become your babysitter?"

"If it bothers you, wake Shuten and tell him to. I'm busy." Ignoring anymore protests, Rajura again turned to Shuu. "To Chi Mou."

Rajura's maho was based entirely on the mind, and worked in different ways. In order to change himself into another person, he merely had to convince himself that he was someone else and let the magic to the rest. When he wanted to disguise someone else, like when he had made Shuten the first mate of the ship, he had to do a mixture of convincing the person he was someone else, and creating an aura that anybody near that person was convinced as well. What Rajura wanted to do now was something of the inverse of what he had always done.

His plan, simply put, was to make Shuu fight and kill the Troopers. Earth maho seemed to be the most powerful of the others, at least from Rajura's limited observations, and had the greatest chance of overpowering the other Troopers' magic. Shuu also seemed to be the most open one and the one most likely to get a large welcome from the others. How much of that was true, one would have to ask the self-proclaimed social expert Shuten. The Gen didn't dare tell the Kitsune that he was using his information.

In order to get Shuu to fight, Rajura had to cast a mental illusion on a large scale. Every time Shuu would see the other Troopers, the one eyed Rajura would have to project the illusion of an enemy. The earlier search of Shuu's mind showed that he saw Rajura and his colleagues as the enemy.

It was a gamble. If the plan failed; if for some reason Shuu did not finish off the Troopers, then he would know definitively what they looked like. It was also a gamble that the illusion would actually work. It all depended on being able to modify what Shuu truly saw to what Rajura wanted Shuu to see. The Gen would be nowhere near him at that time, and would be unable to know if it worked or not. A high stakes gamble.

Shuten would be proud.

A smile broke his face even as he broke his hold on Shuu. He let out a breath and sagged back, finding a grass mat had been placed behind him. Lying back, he saw that Anubisu was still out cold, Naaza dozing near him. Shuten was awake and staring out to the night air. The Kitsune turned when he saw Rajura lay back.

"Finally finished?"

"Ah," was about all Rajura could use to affirm.

"Will it work?"

"Aah," came the reply, drawn out to indicate the uncertainty.

"There's no way to ensure it?"

"Nah."

Shuten nodded, looking back outside. "One brainwashed, one dead, and one severely injured. Not bad, all things considered."

Shuten? Being optimistic? Rajura wondered if he was dreaming.

"Go to sleep. I'll keep watch."

* * *

Touma flew himself and Ryo several miles away from the half buried hovel and well into the jungle before he rose above the canopy of the trees. The air, while cooler than during the day, was sticky and humid. Even with the wind in his face, sweat accumulated on his temples and forehead and threatened to roll down into his eyes. Ryo said nothing as they traveled, obviously too focused on the rescue mission to bother with petty conversation. Touma, meanwhile, found himself nervous. This would be the first time in months that he would really be out on his own. Oh, sure, Ryo was there to back him up, but the Rekka had explained that he wanted Touma to do most of the work in finding Shin and Shuu. In many ways, it was a test.

Touma found he didn't like the idea, because it put Shin and Shuu entirely on his shoulders. It was too close to being a leader, a king. Gods, he had not thought of his problems in Hashiba since before arriving at Peace. What felt like millions of insecurities crept up on him, and he felt himself become scared. What if he made a poor decision? What if he lost his concentration while using his maho? Lives were at stake on this little test.

_Which is exactly why I'm making you take it,_ Ryo said. _All of you need to know to make hard decisions. Shuu's used to them, and I believe Seiji got a taste of it during the fight. You of all of us need this kind of experience. You ARE ready for it._

Touma wished he was as confident as Ryo was, but chose not to reply.

They finally reached the ruined city of Suiss. The Lower part of the city was, from Touma's bird's eye view, where all the action was. Fires and riots littered the muddy collection of hovels, so the prince stayed well above and away from it all as he made his way to the comparatively deserted palace. It took a moment to find the hole that Shin had blasted through the ceiling, but when they did the slowly floated down it until they were in the wrecked meeting room.

"It feels like ages since I was here," Touma whispered. "It was only hours, but it feels like ages."

"Time has a way of doing that," Ryo answered. "I'm going to change into a dog. If you're really, and I mean REALLY having trouble, I'll pick up the scent and point out where you go."

Without another word, the Rekka bent down to his hands and knees, growing a tail and becoming furry. Touma stared, still not used to the transformation process. When it was complete, the dog Ryo sat on his haunches and looked expectantly at the blue haired prince.

"You know this also makes it impossible for you to give me mental clues, or even have me yell at you," Touma accused. The dog opened his mouth and let his tongue loll out in amusement.

"I should really hate you for this." Giving a dramatic sigh, Touma closed his eyes and concentrated.

_Shin? Shuu?_

There came no reply, but Touma was able to get a small sense of direction. Opening his eyes, he pointed to a wall that had melted away. "That way?" he asked Ryo.

The canine barked once and bounded out the hole. It was a start. Touma followed Ryo and down a once-gaudy hall. Now it was overturned and wrecked. The gold paneling held scorch marks and was partly melted in several places. Paintings and hall tables were ripped and overturned. The prince's mind started to work out what had happened. Burning and scorching, Ryo excluded, could be explained by torches and the like. The melting could not. This must have been work by maho, meaning Shin had fought one of the Masho. If the battle continued like this, then it would be as easy as following the path of destruction.

Touma grinned at his excellent piece of reasoning and followed the path of the battle. Ryo seemed happy with the progress, his tail wagged continually until they came to a crossway in the palace. Touma looked every which way, but the melting that he had been following had disappeared.

"Now what?" Touma asked Ryo. The dog again sat on his hind legs and waited. "Come on, Ryo, I'm stuck now. This is the part where you pick up the scent."

Ryo's ears flattened and he growled.

"Fine, fine!" Touma paused, letting his mind work. The most logical explanation was that the Masho had stopped using his magic. It was so obvious that Touma nearly kicked himself. Looters had already made their way through the palace, and the damage of a fight easily blended in with the wreckage of stealing. The visual trail had disappeared. Could he see the traces of magic? Touma had noticed when he'd arrived that he could see some faint green around one of Seiji's arm. If he was getting good enough to see the use of magic, maybe he could see the vestiges of the fight. Touma concentrated and looked around. He saw nothing.

Swearing under his breath, he rolled the problem around in his mind. Ryo was still waiting, his ears twitching this way and that as he caught scents in the air.

Giving up, Touma went back to the mental link.

_Shin? Shuu? Come on, it would be so much easier if one of you was awake!_

_Tou. . . ma?_

The prince froze. _Shin? Shin, is that you?_

_Not so loud. My head is killing me._

Touma jumped up and down; thrilled that he had made contact. He almost cried out in victory, but was instead bitten by Ryo. Reminded of where he was, he set to work. He had a definite direction now that Shin was awake and talking with him. There was also a wave of relief that Touma wasn't even aware that he had been waiting for. Knowing that the monk-sir was conscious and had all his faculties gave him a new sense of encouragement.

_Do you know where you are, Shin?_

_No. I'm pinned under something, and I can't see. Where are the others? Are they alright?_

Touma paused, considering his answer. _Don't worry, Shin, the rest of us are much better off than you._

_There's a half-truth there, Touma. What aren't you telling me?_

_I'll tell you when we get there,_ Touma said as he rounded across the corner. Some of the melting showed more sporadically than before.

_Touma! You're making me more worried than by not telling me! What happened? Who's hurt!_

The prince sighed and rolled his eyes. _Nobody's hurt. At least not as bad as you seem to be. Shuu's missing, though._

Shin's response wasn't dialogue based as much as emotion based. All sorts of panicky feeling enveloped the blue haired tracker, mixing in with worry and fear. It was too much for Touma to take, and he had to stop and get control of himself.

_Will you shut up!_ he shouted. _Knowing him, he's probably fine! He'll come waltzing into the campsite with some mother of a story and bore us all to tears, alright? Worrying isn't going to help you get out of whatever the blazes happened to you._

Shin calmed almost immediately, and Touma resumed his following the mental link.

When he finally reached Shin, he just about face-faulted. Ryo tripped over his four legs and whimpered. Shin was buried somewhere under two collapsed walls, half melted and half crumbled. Looking around him, Touma saw that the walls were high, reaching at least ten feet. Their exposed structure showed a heavy mixture of wood and plaster and rock, along with the gold plating. One wall fragment must have weighed several hundred pounds. Shin was under two fragments.

"How in the three gods' names did he survive his?" Touma half whispered, half screeched.

_What? What?_

Touma refused to answer. Showing Shin what he was buried under would most likely send him into an even bigger panic.

Experimentally, Touma walked up to one of the rocks and hefted it up. It would take men much stronger than even the missing Shuu to lift all this away. Ryo could use his fire maho to melt the rock away, but that would risk burning Shin. The monk-sir himself was obviously in no position to do anything, and Seiji's light maho would do little good. Mulling the problem over, Touma considered what his magic could do. He could lift himself to fly, could he lift the rocks?

Pulling his brow together, Touma mouthed, "Shin Ku Ha." A light, cooling breeze fluttered past him as he focused on one piece of debris. The boulder sized hunk of plaster and wood vibrated slowly, increasing to a rocking sensation, and then slowly lifted into the air. Touma moved it several feet away, and placed it gingerly on the ground. Letting out a breath, he assessed himself. It had not been that difficult. Actually, it was very easy. The piece of debris on its own must have weighed almost one hundred pounds and he wasn't even winded. Encouraged, but not about to overexert himself, Touma went about moving small bunches of debris at a time. Ryo helped where he could, using his paws to dig up the lighter rocks and dirt that had fallen. Even between the two of them, it took near on thirty minutes to clear away enough to see Shin.

"Ah," the monk-sir sighed. "I can breathe easier now."

"I think I can see what happened," Touma said slowly, not willing to stop and unsure if he could move rocks and talk at the same time. "You created a water shield of some sort. I can see the water stains. The worst of the debris rolled off and built around you until you had a mini cavern."

"I don't remember doing it," Shin said, gasping for the comparatively drier air. "I don't even remember the walls falling."

"We can puzzle it out later," Ryo said after shifting back into his human form.

"Ryo," Touma said. "I'm going to lift the last of it. Pull Shin out and drag him over here."

"Understood."

Touma lifted the final boulders and Ryo darted in, quickly assessed Shin, and nimbly pulled him out of the way. Touma let the last of the rocks fall and took a deep breath. He did not feel drained in his maho so much as in his concentration. He felt as though he'd just taken Hashiba Universities' graduate finals without being told what was going to be on them. "Now I have a headache," he moaned as he slumped to the floor. "How's Shin?"

"In pain," Shin answered lightly.

"Better than I was expecting and worse that what I was hoping," Ryo said. "He really needs to see Seiji. Shin?" Ryo asked, turning back to his charge. "Can you purify yourself with your maho? Do you know how?"

"Sort of," Shin said. "Will it help?"

"Ah," Ryo affirmed. "Naaza really did a number on you."

"Naaza? Was that his name?" Shin asked before he said, "Cho Ryo Ha." A faint blue light enveloped him before quickly fading. "You're right, I feel much better, now."

"Come one," Ryo said. "Let's get you out of here."

"Who's there?" a fourth voice called out. Immediately, Touma and Ryo ducked down. "Is somebody there?" the voice repeated.

"God's curse it," Touma swore. "There are still people in here."

"What do we do?" Shin asked, not daring to move.

Touma thought for a moment, and then turned to his raven haired companion. "Ryo, can you Rekka into a wounded priest-sir and send him off? Or at least knock him out?"

"No problem," Ryo answered, his red robes already turning into a sir's blue. Cuts and blood appeared on his face as his hair changed to a honey color. He stood up but kept slouched, clutching his side, and limped in the direction of the voice. "Hello? Is there someone there? Help me; I just got out of a collapse. My gut's open!"

"Kaosu! How did you even get out? That looks pretty bad. Here let me--ooh!" There was a thud and Ryo quickly returned, back to himself.

Shin muttered a half laugh. "Honor among thieves."

"Even hellholes have diamonds in the rough," Ryo replied. "Let's get you out of here. Touma, you up to flying?"

The prince took a deep breath. "Yeah. I'll get better as we go. Don't worry Shin," he added lightly. "I'll try not to make you airsick."

Shin openly laughed. "Like you become seasick? Promise me you won't try to fix me like I did you."

Touma laughed as well. Casting his magic, he lifted the three of them into the air and away from the near deserted palace of Suiss.

* * *

Seiji awoke midmorning. While it irked him that he had missed the sunrise, he was hardly one to complain. The afternoon, night, and morning worth of sleep had done him a world of good. His magic, he sensed, was still not completely back. He looked to the gash on his left arm, and experimentally healed a small section of it. Accessing his maho in such a way, he saw that he could heal small injuries, however nothing large. Not about to repeat what he had done the previous afternoon, he stopped and looked to himself. His headache had dulled to a mere ache around his temple, and his body felt much better. His arm was tender, but the dressings he and Ryo had done the previous day had succeeded in ensuring an infection-free healing.

His mind also was beginning to calm. Watching Anubisu writhe the way he had after using his maho had hit a string that Seiji was not expecting to be hit. The Korin elf had grown up believing that all Yami were dishonorable scum who would kill you without a second thought; night skinned wretches who knew nothing about honor and thought insults were a normal part of conversation.

Yami Masho Anubisu was nothing of what he had pictured. Anubisu had introduced himself politely, following all the rules of protocol that Korin culture had dictated. He had complimented Seiji on his ability, and even politely educated him in the nature of his maho. Winter, the cold, the snow, the dark. When Anubisu had said that darkness held purity, it provided Seiji the inspiration to use his maho in a light cage.

The concept of darkness having purity, of a Yami having so much honor as to refuse to kick a Korin - the mortal enemy - while he was down, Seiji found he felt much like Shin must have when he arrived at the swamp hole called Suiss.

The thought of the monk-sir stirred Seiji out of his musings.

Turning, he looked around the half buried hovel. Ryo and Touma were there, sleeping. Shin had been brought in sometime during the night. His eyes widened as he stared at his injured teammate. Silently crawling over, he looked Shin over.

The priest-sir must have had the beating of his life. What could only be acid burns littered his face and neck, as well as marks that looked suspiciously like fingers. Someone had tried to strangle him. Casting his senses out, Seiji also saw that there were several cracked and bruised ribs and a shattered knee. One of Shin's, well, shins were cracked, and his body was littered with cuts and bruises.

Seiji again considered his magical store of energy. He could not leave Shin as he was, but he did not want to sleep for another eighteen odd hours. Checking himself very carefully, he places a hand on Shin's bruised forehead and mouthed his magical phrase. Lightly, delicately, Seiji brushed his light over Shin's body, riding the smaller cuts and bruises, as well as clearing up signs of an early stage infection where he saw it.

When he finished, Shin opened his eyes slightly, not quite awake. He saw Seiji and smiled, turning his head and falling asleep again.

Seiji himself smiled. He had not used up all of his energy, and his conservation was wisely used. He still felt more energized than he had before. The Korin elf knew he would need more energy to properly heal Shin, and thought that perhaps he could charge himself, as it were, faster if he was in the sun for a while.

Getting up quietly, Seiji made his way through the sleeping bodies and stepped out into the clearing. It was not overly large, perhaps two dozen feet in diameter. The horses were tied to a low branch a few feet away. Looking up, Seiji saw that the jungle canopy extended several hundred feet, and there was blessed little light to bathe in. If Seiji wanted to get close to light, then he would have to climb one of the trees.

Pausing, Seiji pondered on how safe that was. He had heard all his life that traveling the jungle was dangerous unless one knew exactly what one was doing. Seiji did not. Would he disturb dangerous animals on the way up? Were the tree leaves poisonous? He would have to ask Ryo.

A snap caught his attention.

Just beyond the clearing, there was a snapping and cracking sound. The low-lying brush moved and jittered. Seiji reached for his sword, wondering who was approaching. Glaring at the approaching possibility of danger, the Korin slowly drew his blade. Then he saw a hint of orange.

"Shuu?" he whispered, not quite believing it.

"Hey!" the Lugan's voice called out. "Anyone there?"

"Shuu! You are alright! Where have you been?" Seiji sheathed his sword and ran for his friend.

The response was Shuu's staff in his stomach.

Seiji stumbled back, gasping for breath as Shuu stormed into the clearing.

"What the blazes are you doing here?" he demanded.

". . . what?"

"Where are my friends?" Shuu demanded. "Where are they?"

Somehow back on his feet, Seiji could only gape. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Shuu roared; his staff at the ready. "Where are Ryo, Seiji, Shin, and Touma?"

Huh?

"What are you talking about?" Seiji asked. "I am right here."

"No duh, Yami," Shuu answered in a low voice. "I know you are here."

"Shuu?"

Seiji stole a glance and saw Ryo and Touma exiting the hovel. They saw Shuu's fighting stance and Seiji's defensive movements. "Shuu?" Touma asked. "What's wrong?"

"Shuten and Rajura?" Shuu asked; his eyes narrowed. "How many Masho are here?"

"None," Touma said. "What are you talking about?"

Ryo caught on immediately. "Shuu, you're under some kind of mind control," he said slowly. "Rajura did something to make you see the Masho."

"Talking about yourself in third person? Nice try," Shuu shouted. "I'm not falling for your tricks anymore. You're not gonna fool me with hair webbing or making me look like Sarenbo."

Seiji moved off to the side, hoping to get behind Shuu as he glared at Ryo. The mercenary saw it, however. He swung his staff again and Seiji only barely avoided it. "Nice try, Yami. Not happening."

_Shuu?_

The mercenary's eyes widened. "Ryo?" _Ryo, where are you?_

_I'm right here!_

_Where? Can you move? I'm facing three Masho here!_

_That's just it! You're not facing the Masho, you're facing us! Rajura cast some kind of illusion on you and you're seeing them when it's really us._

There was a long, tense pause. Seiji watched Shuu as different emotions played across his face. He obviously trusted Ryo immensely, yet he could not deny what was in front of his own eyes. Seiji got an idea.

"Shuu?" he asked tentatively.

"What?" Shuu replied, still in his fighting stance. Uncertainty laced his voice.

"I am going to cast a simple piece of maho. I am going to create a small orb of light."

The mercenary looked skeptical, but did nothing. Very slowly, Seiji lifted his hand and cleared intoned his phrase. "Rai Ko Zan." True to his word, a small ball of light formed fight above his hand. "Do you see this, Shuu?"

The idea had failed, however. Shuu's stance was even tighter than before. "That's a ball of darkness, Yami. You can't use light maho if you don't have it."

"Shuu! It's really us," Touma pleaded. He walked forward to get close, but Shuu wouldn't hear of that. He swung his staff, causing Touma to immediately back off. "Easy with that thing!" he shouted.

_Shuu! Shuu!_ Ryo shouted. _Look at Rajura._

_Why?_

_He's an illusionist, his maho is based on tricking the eye._

_Yeah, and?_

_His magic is smooth and graceful. He also can't change into something that isn't human in shape._

_I'm following you so far._

_Remember than none of you can use magic without saying your phrase. Watch closely._

Seiji and Touma backed away, giving Ryo plenty of room. Shuu locked eyes with Ryo, believing fully that he was Rajura.

"Shuu. For Rajura, turning into something like this is impossible." Then, slowly, Ryo crouched down and started to change. His hair lengthened and turned brown, covering his body. His fingers melted into a dark hoof, and his legs and arms thinned and became knobby. Ryo's face lengthened, his nostrils growing, and his tiger blue eyes spreading further and further apart. When it was completed, he was a brown horse with a black mane.

"Ryo?" Shuu said. "For a second, I saw you."

The horse nodded his head and scuffed the dirt, neighing.

"But, you look like Rajura."

Slowly, Ryo turned back into himself. "Who do I look like?"

"Still Rajura. You were Ryo for a split second, but. . ."

"Seiji," Ryo said.

"Yes?" Shuu looked to the Korin elf.

"Seiji, light has some effect on the mind. Not as much as autumn, but some. Can you get into his mind?"

"I will try. Shuu," he said, turning to the mercenary. "I am not sure what will happen."

Looking more than a little confused, Shuu vacillated between his options. Emotions of all kinds played across his face, and Seiji hoped that Ryo's gamble would work.

"Alright." Shuu straightened and tossed down his staff. "I trust Ryo."

"I hope this works," Seiji said. He focused on Shuu's eyes, the window into his mind, and said, "Rai Ko Zan." Seiji wrapped the light around himself as a defense and mentally moved towards Shuu's consciousness.

It was an odd experience for Seiji. He felt as though he was being pulled toward Shuu, and suddenly he was there. Shuu encompassed all of Seiji's senses and all of his thoughts and feelings, even through his barrier of light. Everything crowded around him and threatened to suffocate him. Seiji fought for some kind of foothold where he could be himself.

_Seiji?_

Shuu's voice all but knocked him down. It was too much, too fast, and Seiji retreated, gasping for breath.

"It's too much!" he cried.

"Ryo?" Touma asked tensely. "What do we do?"

"Shuu," Ryo said, determined not to lose his calm. "What happened when Seiji entered your mind?"

"I don't know!" Shuu cried, becoming excited. "He was in there, like he was right next to me. Then he was gone."

"Shuu, stay calm," Ryo said. Then he switched to mind speak. _If you get excited, it will make things even harder for Seiji. Try to picture a space in your mind that's completely clear and empty. Seiji, try again and try to jump to that space._

Seiji nodded, not trusting himself to say anything without showing his fear. Shuu was a strong person, with a strong personality, so he encompassed every part of his own mind with his cluttered being. The Korin elf was petrified of the idea of being swallowed up by Shuu's conscious. The light was not enough to protect him. Nothing was enough to protect him. His entire body trembled. But there was no other way to help Shuu; Seiji would have to go in again. The very idea terrified him.

The Korin elf took a deep breath and steadied himself. He had to see this as a test, just as facing the Yami for the first time was. His heart raced, but he was determined to meet the challenge.

"Rai Ko Zan." His voice was shaky, and it cracked in defiant display of his fear. He plunged into Shuu's consciousness.

The space was much too small for him, and Shuu's being again diverged on him, suffocating him. Fear gripped him and prevented him from moving. He quite nearly fled again when Shuu's voice boomed.

_Seiji? Help me!_

Suddenly, Seiji realized that what he feared was nothing in comparison to Shuu. Seiji did not look upon his friends and see the Masho. He did not have to stay at the ready yet be uncertain if any attack would hurt his friends. Resolve came in and kicked aside Seiji's fear.

"Rai Ko Zan!" he shouted, and let the light that engulfed him change from being a shield to being the purifying force that he had used on Anubisu. The Korin felt more than saw Shuu take a step back and for a brief moment, Seiji was convinced that he would never be himself again and never see his self again. Shuu's conscious collapsed upon Seiji's, and then within a blink of an eye and without warning, Seiji was back in himself. Shuu fell to the ground, holding his head, and Seiji crouched down, feeling his hands feeling his arms, the dirt on his feet, the throbbing of his headache, the stinging of the gash in his arm. His clothes stuck to him as his entire body sweat from the humidity and his own emotional roller coaster. He was back. Praise Kaosu-sama, he was back in his own body.

Looking up, he saw Touma and Ryo leaning over Shuu as the Lugan shook his head. The mercenary looked up, his eyes focusing on the two.

"Ryo? Touma?" he asked.

"Yes," Ryo said.

Touma threw his arms around Shuu. "You're back! Kaosu, I was so worried about you!"

"It was really you," Shuu murmured. "I thought for sure you were the Masho. By the three gods I was ready to kill you if you didn't lead me to you!"

"But you didn't," Ryo said easily, helping his friend up. "You were tested on your instincts, and you passed, Shuu. You passed with flying colors." He gave a hearty pat on the Lugan's back. "Come on; let's see how Shin's doing."

"Shin's here? Where?"

"In that mound over there," Touma explained. "He got a little beat up, so we ordered him not to move."

"He's okay, though?"

"Yeah, just as soon as Seiji gets enough of his maho back, he'll be back on his feet."

Seiji stood slowly and walked over and took Ryo's elbow. "Ryo," he said in a low voice.

"Yes?"

"Don't ever, ever, ask me to do that again."

Ryo smiled. "I don't think that kind of situation will ever happen again. It was a test for you, too, Seiji; and you passed."

Seiji thought back to when he was inside Shuu's mind and shuddered. "Promise me. You'll never ask again."

Ryo's brow lowered and he put a comforting hand on the Korin's shoulder. "Don't worry. I won't."

"Thank you." Seiji asked quickly which trees were safe to climb, and within minutes he was above the canopy and soaking up the sun's reassuring rays. He stayed that way for the rest of the day.

* * *

To say that Suiss was leveled was not an understatement. The main temple of Suiss, where Sarenbo sat as head of the country had entire wings destroyed and many levels were so unsafe, that the faintest sound could send a floor into collapse. The maho explosion of wind and energy had sent many of the surrounding buildings into flame, which spread quickly through Upper Suiss. The earthquake succeeded in destabilizing many of the buildings in all of Sthiss but that was just natural damage. The brazen attack on the palace put the monk-sirs of Suiss to arms as they stormed into Lower Suiss and razed everything in sight, burning homes, collapsing businesses and attacking snakes on sight. The Sthissians also tried to take advantage of the chaos that had strangled the city. The different rebellious factions faced the sirs at every turn, fighting for their homes and to take the homes of the human half of the city. Those that weren't a part of the semi-organized rebellion took to rioting and looting the rich homes, taking anything they could get their hands on.

Needless to say, wanting to get out of Suiss was the goal of many people who did not wish to deal with the chaos and strangling panic. However, for Shuten and his team, it wasn't about getting away from the killing on every corner or the total confusion that surrounded everything in the jungle city. It was about crossing the Lugan Mountains before winter fell. In the jungle, it was the start of the rainy season, though the precipitation didn't put out the fires that burned everywhere. However, in the high altitudes of Luga, it was already mid fall and would soon start snowing.

To make matters worse, when they needed to rush out of the city to cross the mountains before getting snowed out, they were slowed down by the downpour and there were injuries on their team. Rajura and Naaza had been lucky. They did what they wanted and got out with relatively few bruises. Anubisu had finally come out of whatever the Korin long ear had done, but evidently staring at bright white light for so long did damage and the dark elf had a lingering blindness. As for Shuten himself, he was burned. Not that anyone else knew it. The only one who could probably help was Naaza, but Shuten would need a go between for that. Rajura was still drained from what he had done to the mercenary and Anubisu was busy with his problems. So nobody knew.

The pelting rain didn't help much either. It made his clothes stick to his sensitive skin and it was itchy, making it even more irritated. So Naaza led a blind elf, a tired illusionist, and a burned gambler through the dangerous Jungle of Snakes, using every shortcut in his knowledge so as to get them to Luga before any snowfall in the mountainous country. Very often they had to get off the horses they had scrounged up in order to just get through the thick foliage. The Doko's swords came in handy for slicing through the obstructions, but since Anubisu couldn't see, he usually ended up flat on a horses back, trusting that low branches wouldn't nock him off.

Shuten usually stayed near the dark long ear during such times. As he had come to realize the need for a team in order to face the Troopers, he realized that he could already work as a team with Rajura. That was a stable connection. In Suiss, he had noticed that Naaza and Anubisu had some sort of connection of their own. Shuten had also started to make a connection of his own with Anubisu, and he wished to expand on it. He'd need the back up for when he tried to reach out to the snake.

Of all his teammates, Naaza was the only one where Shuten had a hard time trying to have a civil conversation with. Since their first meeting almost five years ago, nothing ever worked out between them. Not that they had ever even made an attempt to get along. There was simply never a need. However, now that he actually wanted to make an attempt at patching things up, it seemed that their years of tormenting each other were getting in the way. While that was understandable, couldn't the snake just understand that Shuten had changed since following the Troopers? Was it so hard to see that they were all changing since Rajura had found the Troopers earlier that spring? A wise Kitsune once said that wars changed people, and together they were certainly at war with Kaosu.

_Shuten, will you shut up?_ Rajura demanded.

_Indeed_, Anubisu agreed. _And stop thinking of Naaza as so stupid. After half of the stunts you've pulled on him, don't blame him for not trusting you! I've told you that before._

Shuten scowled. _Then why doesn't he defend himself?_

Rajura let out a long sigh. _Because, you dolt, he can't hear you._

What?

_I thought you claimed to be an expert on group dynamics,_ Rajura growled. _Naaza is the one you have no common ground with, so naturally he can't hear you when you decide to boom your thoughts like the thunder overhead._

Shuten growled. So the only time Naaza had any connection with him was when they needed to talk to Badamon or Arago-sama. Lovely. So what common ground could he possibly have with the snake? It would be needed to defeat the Troopers, but common ground between the two of them simply doesn't exist.

_Oni, you couldn't be more wrong,_ Anubisu scoffed.

_Meaning what?_

No reply came. So he was supposed to figure it out for himself. Of all the stupid things to worry about. He didn't have time for that right now. The rain was still pelting downward and soaking all four of them, even under the canopy. This was getting rather monotonous. And his burns really hurt. This was just turning into a pitiful day.

Late that evening, they had made camp and the rain had decided to at least become a gentle drizzle. Rajura had already gone to bed and the snake and long ear were talking quietly. Shuten wasn't feeling very friendly at the moment, so he sat in his bedroll, watching the fire. It reminded him of the disciple of Kaosu. Understandable since fire was the unknown's element. But the smoke haired disciple just seemed to continually confound Shuten. The fact that the disciple had been alive so long lent to the idea of being ageless but how had the ultimate Kaosan-sir known about gambling Kitsune for so long?

Shuten's mind floated back unwillingly to when he had first met the disciple, though he did not know it at the time. The night he had gambled to make enough money to leave Hashiba when his family had been killed. "Do your father proud." What a thing to say after losing your father. So why had the disciple's words comforted him so much? In Hashiba during the trial, Ryo had treated him with respect and even offered to be friends when this war was all over. On the boat from Peace, a similar conversation had taken place that had echoed of helping the enemy or the enemy helping them.

Why was the disciple, a very clear-cut enemy, trying to help him? Did he also try to help Shuten's teammates once upon a time? Was the Kitsune really doing his father proud?

No.

His father took great pride in his Hashiban ancestry and was loyal to the crown. When Shuten's mother got sick, his father was desperate to find some sort of cure, even if it meant going against the government he was so loyal to. His father always did say that loyalty was what Hashibans valued more than money. Being loyal meant having trust and faith in what you were loyal to. Believing that even if they were wrong, the ones to which you bear loyalty were trying to do what was best. Ultimately, that was why Shuten lost his loyalty to the Hashiban crown. Under no circumstances was murdering his family the best thing to do.

Yet that irritating prince of Hashiba had brought up a good point. Growing up, Shuten was taught that the wise Kaosu wished for people to place others before themselves and that Arago wished to tear down such a beneficial system. If Arago-sama really was about placing the individual in front of the people, then Touma had a point. The world would be chaos. Shuten didn't want to see thousands die needlessly, just the ones who would kill a family for no justifiable reason. But that meant he was putting himself in front of the people who killed his family. So he was already thinking in Arago-sama's circles. However, the dream world of everyone getting what they want had its allures. Everyone would be happy if they got what they want. But there was the trap. If two people wanted one thing to make them happy, they'd have to fight for it. That would only bring more misery. Kaosu-sirs taught that selfishness led to suffering. They had failed to mention that selflessness led to suffering as well.

"Curse it, Kitsune, I'm talking to you!" a voice hissed.

It would be so much simpler if he could go back to when he simply wanted to kill the Troopers because they were the enemy. But he had to gain respect for them as he had followed them down from Bread River. He had to admit that they tried to help Rajura on the sail from Peace. He had to listen to that monk give a very heartfelt and all around--he had to admit some level of femininity to it--_touching_ speech. He had to hear the prince of Hashiba point out something he was already starting to realize.

The only way to win against the Troopers was to work as a team. Working as a team went against Arago-sama's principals.

"Shuten! You cursed Oni, are you even in there?"

The only thing he could use to keep going on the path he had chosen was his hatred of the Hashiban line. They had killed his family he had to hold onto that. Even if Touma had given him things to think about, no matter what respect he had for the Tenkuu freak, he still loathed the prince. He had to hold on to that.

A hand came down hard on Shuten's shoulder, further aggravating already aggravated burns. Shuten hissed in pain, and pulled away.

"Shuten?"

The gambler looked up to see Naaza looking rather surprised and Anubisu looking with blind eyes toward him.

Curse it. He just gave away the fact that he was injured.

"It's nothing," he insisted, taking his seat by the fire again.

"Nothing my half ear," Anubisu calmly stated. "You've been riding gingerly since we left Suiss. What happened when you faced the Hashiban prince anyway? None of our fights leveled the city as much as yours did."

"It. Is. Nothing."

Anubisu would have retorted but Naaza did it for him. He jumped onto the soaked Kitsune, pinned him to the ground and pulled off his shirt. Shuten cried out, waking Rajura. "You cursed Oni! Why didn't you tell us about the burns?"

"Burns?" Rajura asked, rubbing sleep from his eye. Anubisu stood, feeling his way over.

"They've been infected!" the snake continued. "Don't you know anything? Very little in this country is actually clean, including the rain! You idiot! What, you didn't trust me? Is that why you kept quiet? You fool!"

Shuten shoved the snake off of him. "No, you snake! Think! When have we ever had a civilized conversation! You wouldn't have believed me if I told you!"

"Then tell one of the others if you can't talk, you dolt!"

"In case you haven't noticed," Shuten growled, "Rajura's been exhausted since he tricked the Lugan mercenary and Anubisu is still blind! Forgive me if I didn't want to burden them with my own injuries!"

"So you're trying to be selfless," Naaza spat. "Like I would believe that."

Anubisu put a hand on Naaza's shoulder, his unseeing eyes gazing off in the distance. "Naaza, that's enough." The Doko paused in his tirade. "We can worry about blame later. Do what you can to help him and then bite his red head off."

Naaza hissed something incomprehensible before pulling out his pack of herbs and potions.

"You imbecile," Rajura muttered. "If you want us to work as a team like you keep saying, you should at least trust all of us with vital information like any injury you have."

Shuten scowled. Anubisu sat down by him and Rajura moved over as well. "You really are an idiot," the Gen stated. "You can analyze your precious group dynamics with the Troopers, but you can't apply any lessons to this mismatched group. Get a clue; we aren't the same as the Troopers. We're all far more scarred. If you want to improve your precious group dynamics, take that into consideration."

"I would have thought you smarter than that," Anubisu agreed. "I must admit that the 'dynamics' of our group are changing, but it doesn't revolve around you. You're not some human savior who's going to fix all of our lives. We can do that on our own."

"If you want to actually be able to work with someone, have a little patience, you dolt," Rajura added.

Naaza finally came over with some sort of salve which he covered from the drizzle. "Pull of your clothes," he stated flatly.

Shuten blushed brightly. He pulled off his shirt and rolled up his pant legs, revealing bright red burns that were peeling and some were blistering.

Rajura gasped. "You've been riding like this? You’re really are an idiot!"

"You're going to slow us up like this!" Anubisu shouted. "How did you manage this?"

"In my fight with Hashiba," Shuten growled, then hissed as Naaza applied the salve. "We both let out our maho at the same time. When it collided it gave a pretty big explosion, which is what torched the city. The Tenkuu freak was able to fly up and avoid most of the energy, but I was stuck blocking with the little energy I had left." Shuten hissed in pain again. "I was able to absorb most of what hit me, but that energy was burning hot. As you can see."

Rajura cursed, taking a handful of salve and helping Naaza. "You'd think that our wise leader Badamon would have informed us of the consequences of that!"

"I don't think he knows the consequences," Naaza retorted. "Can you think of any time in history when Badamon and Sanada actually faced each other? The sirs certainly don't know of any account. If they never faced each other maho to maho, then of course that blue-skinned freak wouldn't know."

"How interesting," Anubisu replied, his blind eyes blinking. "We are just as much in the dark about how maho reacts as the Troopers are. We may have a few years more experience, but the Troopers are fast coming to match our level because they actually have someone to train them. They have the advantage of teamwork, and we are slowly coming to act as a team as well. I wonder if there will be any difference between us by the end of all this, aside from histories and beliefs."

"It's the differences between where we come from and what we believe in that count," Naaza answered. "If our fighting skills are the same, all we have left is what we believe. Sirs will never do what's best for Sthiss, no matter how eloquently they talk. Korin will never stop fighting Yami, no matter how honorable they seem. Mercenaries will always go for money, no matter what their reputation. Hashiba will always make scapegoats of innocent people. We can change that. It is our belief and we can do it."

Shuten looked over to Naaza, his burns cooling under the salve. The snake made sense. And it was the first time that all four of them had sat down to have a civilized normal conversation.

Their group dynamics had changed more than he thought.

* * *

Ryo slid through the shadows of the ruins of Suiss. Since the battle almost a week previously, things had calmed down. Looting and raids were only done in the dark of night rather than in broad daylight. Priests stood on every corner in an attempt to show the city that they still had control, despite losing their palace. Places of business tried to open up again, but most trading among the Sthissians still took place in the decrepit buildings out of range of the eyes and ears of the monks. That was Ryo's first stop. His friends were still not fully fit for travel, and their supplies were draining fast. Since Touma and Seiji had drained their maho so badly, the two of them were eating more than they normally would. The salve that Seiji was using to help ease some of the more minor injuries they had was running low and a new batch would have to be made.

So Ryo slipped through the shadows, disguised as a Sthissian in order to get the supplies they needed. He peeked around corner, asked animals to keep an eye out for him, and stayed well away from the priests that guarded every corner. Finally, he spied a Sthissian woman sneaking around as much as him. He followed her. Sure enough, she came to a more human styled building. After knocking in a specific pattern, she was let in.

Ryo stayed across the street, observing the half collapsed building. A short time later, the woman came out with a bundle in her arms. Ryo checked around the street. The priests weren't looking in his direction. He darted across the street and knocked in the same pattern as the woman before him. The door cracked open.

"Business?" a voice hissed.

"Need healing herbs," Ryo replied.

The door opened and the disguised disciple slipped in. The Sthissian who had opened the door gauged Ryo, obviously not trusting.

"What you got to pay wit'?"

"Depends," Ryo answered. "What you looking for?"

A large snake slithered into the room, climbing up, hissing urgently.

"Information's as valuable as gold. Either will do." The snake hissed even more urgently, but the Sthissian just batted it away.

"Well, if it's information you want, your snake has some."

The Sthissian glared at him. "Snakes can't talk."

The snake, however, turned to Ryo, its slitted eyes glaring at him. It took a moment for the snake to recognize him as a Rekka, but once it did, it immediately slithered over to him and started hissing in his ear. What the snake had to say was not pleasant.

"What?" Ryo cried out. "Sirs are on their way _here_?"

The snake nodded.

The Sthissian hesitated a moment, unsure whether or not to believe Ryo's information. However, the danger of priests-sirs arriving on your doorstep, real or not, was not something one wished to risk. He grabbed Ryo and the snake that encircled him and shoved all of them into a hidden door in the paneled wall. The Sthissian slammed the door and Ryo looked through a tiny hole into the room they were just in. It didn't take long before the door was kicked down and several priests came in, their sharp spears at the ready.

Both Ryo and the Sthissian held their breaths as the monks tore the room apart and searched the rest of the building. Any furniture that wasn't already thrashed was destroyed by the priests as they continued to search the house. The Sthissian cursed under his breath. When the monk-sirs finally left, the Sthissian patted Ryo on the shoulder. "You a snake charmer? Someone who can actually talk to snakes?"

"Yep," Ryo replied. Actually his ability to talk to snakes had nothing to do with snake charming, but he wasn't going to let the Sthissian know that.

"You've earned your healing herbs. What kind?"

Ryo turned and saw that the hidden room they were in was actually a storage room. This was where the Sthissian kept the goods he sold. Ryo took the herbs he needed and left the shop, still weary of the priests.

With the herbs, he headed up to the human part of the city, subtly changing his form to a human as he went. In the human part of the city, merchants still worked in secret for more sensitive items, but common items like food were still sold in the open. Ryo bought the food he needed, though the prices were outrageous, he wasn't about to complain.

Unfortunately, as he headed back to where his friends were, he was cornered by a monk-sir.

"What are you doing here in the snake-infested half of town, stranger-san?" the monk asked, leaning on his spear and eying Ryo with suspicion.

"Looking for my own property," the disciple replied.

"Then report it to a sir in your area. We'll get it back. Now go back to your home." Ryo turned, grateful that his current disguise didn't show his swords or monk-like clothes. He might get a chance to get out of this quickly.

"Wait a minute!" the priest called out. "What's in the bag?"

Ryo inwardly cursed. "Just some food. I was planning a good long hunt, but I wouldn't trust anything I found around here to eat."

"Let me see."

The monk would most likely ask where he got the healing herbs. Ryo didn't have time for this. He started to lower his bag and the priest reached down for it. Ryo took his chance and swung the bag up, belting the sir in the chin. Off balance, the priest dropped his spear and Ryo dove onto the unarmed man, landing a good punch to the man's temple, effectively knocking him out.

"Hey!"

Great, another monk-sir saw that. Ryo grabbed his bag and made a beeline for the forest, subtly changing his form to gain longer legs for more speed. Once he was in the forest, a large tiger stepped forward.

"Byakuen?"

The tiger nodded and turned. Ryo gratefully mounted the large white tiger, gripping his bag of supplies tightly as Byakuen ran through the jungle faster than Ryo ever could. During the ride, Ryo shifted back to his more normal human form, the Go Retsu Ken appearing on his back and his clothes once more the well-worn red that he received centuries ago.

By the time they arrived at the campsite, it was already starting to drizzle, matting Byakuen's soft fur and combining with the humidity to make Ryo's clothes stick to him. Seiji was climbing down a tree and looked at them, wide-eyed. Touma was pulling laundry down from a tree branch and Shuu was stirring some soup over the fire. Both looked up, surprised at Ryo's sudden arrival. Shin was still in the buried shack, not quite able to move on his own yet.

"Ryo?" Seiji asked.

"Byakuen?" Touma added.

"What happened?" demanded Shuu.

"Nothing's wrong," Ryo replied. "I was able to get the stuff we needed. I just ran into Byakuen on the way back."

"Don't lie to us," Shin's voice filtered up from the hovel.

Ryo blushed.

"Why don't we discuss this in our hole," Shuu stated. Ryo and Seiji helped Touma finished pulling down the laundry and then Touma used the winds to carefully balance their dinner to bring into the hovel. They all sat down and Ryo explained how everything went.

"That was dangerous, Ryo," Touma stated flatly.

"Not really," Ryo replied. "They'll keep looking for someone that I won't shift into again."

They all fell silent. That had been happening too much lately. Suiss had provided everyone with their first real taste of how the final battle was going to be. Up until then, it was just traveling around and learning new things like maho or non-human ancestry. This was the very first time they really had to fight, and the consequences were profound. From what Ryo would occasionally glean from the other's more projected thoughts, they were all dealing with some very heavy stuff.

Touma had been brought face-to-face, it appeared, with the idea of the Oni mark again, and the consequences it had upon the people. The Hashiban prince was backsliding to when they had all been in Hashiba. That meant that Touma wasn't dealing with his problems as much as avoiding them. Having to actually fight Shuten had forced him to look at things and not run away from it. Touma's insecurities about gaining the crown kept creeping up.

Seiji, meanwhile, was confused by the fact that a Yami, who Korin elves stereotyped greatly, was no different than himself. This went against everything he had learned and was a hard medicine to swallow. It led Seiji to wonder why the Yami and Korin were even fighting, to which Seiji could not provide an answer. There was also some guilt at being unable to heal anyone except in small stages.

Shin, as Ryo expected, was dwelling on the goings on of Sthiss, as well as the results of his confrontation with Sarenbo which led to many deaths and un-Kaosan acts from both the monk-sirs and the Sthissians. While Shin understood that he had a higher duty to Kaosu with the retrieval of the Inochi no Madatama, it still disturbed him greatly at how things were handled in the Jungle country. There was also guilt at keeping everyone still since he was still unable to ride with his shattered knee, cracked ribs and shin and all around beat up condition.

Shuu, however, continually kept looking at all four of them, as if convinced that they would turn into someone else at a moment’s notice. Rajura's illusion, though gone, had succeeded in making the Lugan very unsure of himself. While Seiji had erased the brainwashing, more cleaning had to be done. However, Ryo had promised Seiji that he would never ask for such a task again.

Ryo also had his own problems. He was worried about all four of them, of that there was no doubt. They were all withdrawing into themselves and separating from the group. However, Ryo was also worried about the Masho as well, since they probably left the fight with things to think about as well. What was confusing him was that, every once in a while; he thought he heard the thoughts of one of the Masho, usually Shuten, which lead to questions of their own. Did that mean that they were starting to convert to the Kaosan side? Or was it simply because he had been inadvertently spending more time with them and was staring to connect, since they were the ones chosen by Kayura-sama? If that was the case, then could he peek into Badamon's head and find out Arago-baka's plans?

The long silence was finally broken by Touma.

"Ryo?"

"Yes?"

"Why is it that Seiji and I are having a harder time recharging our maho than when were in Kaosu's Keep?"

"Eh?" Shin asked.

"Well," Touma explained, "when we first got our maho, we could only perform pillars of elements and then be out cold for the rest of the day. But we'd be back to normal the next morning and sending out another massive power surge into the sky. Why is it now Seiji and I are hungry and only getting our maho back slowly?"

Ryo blinked, surprised at the question. "I thought you knew. When you were making those pillars of energy, your maho was being nice to you."

"Huh?"

"I think I've mentioned this before," Ryo replied, settling down to explanation mode as the drizzle outside turned into a gentle rain. "You see, maho has a kind of sense of its user. Maho wants to help, but it doesn't necessarily have the understanding of how. Your maho understood at my master's home that you were new to this, so it never let you drain yourselves of it completely. That's why you were so exhausted, because you were using power you weren't used to.

"As you became better at using your maho, it let you use it more fully."

"So in our battle," Seiji summed up, "We really did use up all of our maho for the first time."

"That's part of it," Ryo answered. "You also ended up using all your concentration. Face it; it doesn't take much thought to make a pillar of energy. So not only is your maho completely drained, so is your mental stamina."

"That's why Seiji and I are so hungry," Touma stated; his chin in his hand. "But I've been recharging my maho every time I fly. I shouldn't be so bad off, should I? And Seiji's been soaking up the sun every chance he gets and taking light from our cookfire."

"But your maho doesn't believe that you're recharging so quickly," Ryo replied. "And you still have a mental stamina to build up again."

"So our maho has some say over us, just as we have some say over it," Seiji said.

"That's about right."

"I have another question," Shin interjected. "Why did Byakuen come here?"

Ryo looked to the tiger that he had settled down against, reached out and rubbed between the ears.

"He was worried about us."

"Eh?"

"Byakuen, remember, has been alive almost as long as me. He has a greater understanding of things than most animals. When he heard what had happened here in Suiss, he made his way here as fast as he could."

"But that's impossible!" Touma exclaimed. "From Kaosu's Keep to here, even if he did cut through farmer's fields, is impossible to make in a week's time!"

Byakuen rumbled an amused chuckle and Ryo continued to stroke the tiger's ears. "Byakuen is special that way," he said quietly. "Anyway, he's going to kind of guard us while we're here. You guys won't have to worry about an extra guest wearing either fangs or robes dropping by as long as Byakuen's around.

"He's also going to guide us through the jungles. If we're lucky we'll be able to reach Luga's narrowest section before winter. We might be able to get through without having to winter in the mountains."

"You wouldn't want to winter in Luga," Shuu stated, speaking for the first time. "The winters are long and very cold. We'd be stuck there for almost three months, maybe four."

"Which is why we want to avoid wintering in Luga," Ryo added.

"Seiji," Shin turned to the Korin. "How are your energy reserves?"

"Well. I've been going in stages to try and not deplete myself again," replied Seiji. "I think we should be able to travel by the end of the week."

"Good," the quiet monk responded. "I want out of this country."

"Indeed."


	24. Sthiss 23

Rajura looked around, wondering where he was. The flat plains of tall grass suggested he was back in Yang Shi, his home country. However, the last he recalled, he had been somewhere between Zalchiss and Zisuss in Sthiss, trying to get to the Lugan mountains so that they could cross before winter. So how did he end up in cattle country?

Wait a minute; this particular field was all too familiar. Though most fields in Yang Shi could be placed anywhere and no one would notice the difference, Rajura knew this field too well. This field was burned in his memory for all times. He turned around.

Sure enough, there was the scaffolding. The nooses. His family. The hooded man who was wrapping the rope around the neck of his family. Hidden in the grass at his feet was himself, ten years old and frightened. Rajura hadn't dreamed about this event in a long time. He had thought that it was particularly well buried in his being, never to come up again. But here he was, witnessing the destruction of his life.

Looking down, he saw that he was no longer by his ten-year-old self, but instead, sitting on the scaffolding, looking down on his family that was about to be hung.

"Otou-san. Okaa-san. Onii-san. Onee-san. I hope you didn't suffer during this." The only reason why he survived was because he had heard that the villagers of Shi Won were after his clan's blood. He had warned his family, but they shoved him out into the fields and told him to run. Given his small and gangly form at the time, it was easy to hide. The rest of the Gen tribe was not so lucky. And here they were, ready to be hung.

"Stop this!"

Rajura looked up, surprised to hear a voice.

"This is insane! The tribe hasn't done anything wrong! They don't deserve this!"

The voice was coming from the crowd. Rajura scanned the throng of people shouting for his family's death, trying to find the voice that would stick up for him. The people were turning to stare at the person who would dare go against the mob mentality and say that the tribe should live.

Rajura turned, finding himself next to the person who would fight for his family. The person was a young man, with an unusually bright red shirt, smoky black hair, and sapphire blue eyes. It was Sanada Ryo. The fire disciple of legend was defending his clan.

He remembered this now. When he was hiding in the grass, he listened as one person, Sanada Ryo evidently, defend his family and try to prevent their deaths while most of the crowd, one voice in particular, convinced everyone that his tribe needed to die. Why had the enemy tried to save his family?

The one thing he remembered of this day more than anything else was leaving with the knowledge that his tribe had died for no reason. Sanada Ryo had given him that. Sanada Ryo kept shouting how pointless it was to kill the tribe for no reason, so Rajura left knowing that his family hadn't deserved to die. It had started his disillusionment with town militia and fighters.

Even now, as the disciple kept telling the people not to kill his family, Rajura felt his hatred towards fighters resurge within him. Fighters, militia, mercenaries, they were all the same. They merely fought because they loved to kill. There was nothing noble in fighting. Only profit or death or something in the middle. Nothing was ever beneficial.

Rajura turned once more, to find himself on the scaffolding again. This time, he was in a noose like his family. The executioner released the trap doors and Rajura and his family fell.

"NO!" the disciple cried out.

Rajura fell deep into the blackness of this dream he hadn't seen in years.

His solitary eye bolted open, though he showed no outward sign of waking up. He looked around, trying to figure out where his teammates were. It was definitely late. So late that it was early. Early morning, that was. The fire had long ago burnt out and the other three were asleep in their bedrolls.

Knowing he probably wouldn't get any more sleep; the one-eyed Gen got up and started to get breakfast, his thoughts elsewhere. Shuten had mentioned during the trial that the disciple was someone he had seen during his childhood. Did all of them have such an encounter?

Well, he certainly wouldn't ask. It wasn't his business. And Rajura certainly didn't want to discuss when he had first seen the disciple. In any case, breakfast was cooking, so he went over to his pack and pulled out one of his most treasured possessions. It was an ornately carved, beautiful woman's brush. It had originally been his mother's, then his sister's. Now it was all he had left of his family. It held many fond memories. Both his mother and sister always took to brushing his hair in the morning, since sleep tended to tussle it into knots. He was used to the sensation, and preferred to brush out his hair when he could. It was early morning. His teammates wouldn't wake for a while. He would be able to brush.

He pulled off his eye patch, not wishing for the bristles of the brush to get caught in them. Rajura opened his canteen and poured some clean water into his hands, washing his face and scarred, unseeing eye very carefully. Parting his hair down the middle, he slowly used his mother's and sister's brush to gently brush the knots out of his hair. The feeling of the bristles against his scalp and the gentle tug of his hair was relaxing and soothing. He enjoyed it, though some would question his manhood because of it.

The brushing of his hair was also something that Rajura felt he was wanted with. It was a way of being with part of his family again and feeling needed. The flowing movements always helped his mother calm down after a stressful day, and his sister usually liked to just play with his white hair. But they usually needed Rajura in order to do so. He was the youngest, so they could get away with using him as a doll. Not that he minded. Rajura had grown up with his hair being brushed every day. It was something he was used to. If it helped remind him of a time when he was wanted and needed by his family, then so what if it was a rather feminine thing to do. It was a way to give himself the security that he was at least needed once in his life. He had been wanted. Even if he never found that again, he had at least had it once.

"What are you doing?"

Rajura whirled around, glaring at Naaza, who was glaring at him. Or rather he was. Right now, the Doko was actually looking rather surprised. At first Rajura wasn't sure why. Until he realized that he didn't actually have his eye patch on. The lonely Gen immediately turned his back to Naaza and grabbed the offended black item, putting it back on and shoving the brush deep into his pack. How could he have been so stupid? Nobody ever saw Rajura's bad eye. Not even Shuten. In a way, it was a violation of privacy.

With his eye patch back on, and his hair brushed, Rajura would normally feel much better, but now that Naaza had intruded on something very private, he instead felt rather angry.

"What do you want?" he demanded, going back to the cooking.

"I was awakened by a snake hissing in my ear," the Doko retorted. "When I saw you brushing your hair, I wondered what was going on."

"It's none of your business," Rajura spat. "That was private."

"That's pretty obvious," Naaza agreed, getting up and rolling up his bedroll. Sitting down by the meal Rajura was cooking, Naaza pulled a bottle of something from his pockets and dumped the contents into the food.

"What did you just do?" Rajura growled.

"Put something in to help all of us," Naaza replied evasively.

"Explain yourself."

"What would you care? It won't hurt us."

"And I know that how? You _can_ trust me, you know."

Naaza sighed, rubbing his temple. "It's a stimulant that boosts the immune system." Rajura raised an eyebrow. "I've been slipping it into our food for the past several days. It will help Anubisu heal his eyes, Shuten and those cursed burns, and your lack of energy."

"And you? Last I checked you shared the same food as us, but you weren't as drained or damaged as the rest of us." Rajura smirked. "You came off pretty well for a Doko in Sthiss while the rest of us were tossed around. Good job."

"It won't affect me."

"Really?" the Gen asked. "A miracle drug that heals the injured but does nothing to the uninjured?" Rajura chuckled. "You'd make a fortune if you put that on the market."

"Can't," Naaza stated flatly. "The ingredients alone are too rare. We're lucky I have enough to keep doing this. Anyone who knows potions and powders knows how to make the stuff, but if they can't get the ingredients, the blazes with it."

"Hn. Blazes," Rajura muttered. "I wonder if 'blazes' is a cuss word because Sanada can use fire. If, way back in the annals of history, people thought that blazes and fires were a curse of that disciple, thus try to curse each other with it."

"Whatever," the Doko replied, stirring the breakfast that Rajura had been making. They entered into a long silence, neither quite knowing what to say, nor certain if they wanted to say anything. Finally, Naaza turned to Rajura. "How exactly did you lose your eye?"

Rajura stiffened. It was a personal question, though not one he hadn't heard before. He'd already had this conversation with Shuten, during a drunken night in Peace. This time he had an option of talking because he wouldn't be his stupid self when drunk. Did he really want to share? He knew that nobody on the team had lived an easy life. On the contrary, all of them had grown up surviving the blazes. But this was Rajura's personal pain. Sharing it wouldn't make him feel needed or wanted. But it might just ease the pain a small bit.

"It happened when I was fifteen," Rajura finally answered. "I'd been a wandering beggar for about five years, performing little Gen tricks for money, stealing if I had to. I was in Shea Shea and the begging had turned sour so I decided to do some B&E."

"B&E?"

"Breaking and entering. I found a rich looking home and started to help myself to some of the contents within. Unfortunately, the owner of the house was a retired mercenary."

"That explains your dislike of the Lugan."

"Not really. My hatred of paid fighters goes a lot deeper than that. But I won't talk about that."

Naaza nodded. Rajura wasn't sure if the nod was understanding, hearing an expected answer, or what, but he continued anyway.

"The merc caught me. Didn't like the fact that a Gen was robbing him. He pulled out a knife and decided to see what an eyeball looks like."

"Sounds more like a sir."

"From Sthiss, perhaps. When my eye came out, I ran. I'll admit, I'm not sure how I escaped, but I did. Badamon found me and brought me back to Yuuki to recover."

"Hn." Naaza grunted. "That explains why we couldn't see you when you first arrived."

"Indeed."

Naaza looked over to Anubisu, his face unreadable, and then to Rajura. "I--"

_Wake up, you idiots!_

_Badamon?!_ Rajura gasped

_I said wake up! Open your eyes you long ear! You too, Oni!_

_Go away,_ came Shuten's sleepy voice.

_Cursed human._

_AWAKEN!_

Shuten and Anubisu rolled out of their bedrolls, weapons in hand while Naaza and Rajura fell back, all startled at the strength of the blue-skinned freak's voice.

_Why haven't you crossed the mountains yet, you morons?_

_Your concern is touching,_ retorted Naaza. _Leave us alone, human. We're getting closer each day. We'll make it before winter._

_Besides,_ Rajura drawled in annoyance, _you should be rejoicing. The Kaosan sir is dead, and the Lugan attacked his friends, probably killing a few of them as well._

Badamon gave a loud growl. _Half-wit, no-account, uninformed incompetents! You don't know anything do you? THEY'RE ALL STILL ALIVE! I've told you before, you dolts, that you CAN'T kill them yet! Not until the end of the game, but that can't happen until we have ALL the gifts--_

_Gifts?_ Shuten asked. _What gifts?_

_Don't you know anything?? You all spent five years here in Yuuki; didn't you learn anything from Arago-sama? The gifts are what we need to make the world what WE want!_

Anubisu calmly replied, _We were informed of no such thing._

_What do you mean that sir is ALIVE?_ That was Naaza, returning the conversation to the subject of the Troopers. _He breathed in poison, was buried under tons of debris and is STILL ALIVE? How the curses could that be?! He's dead! Not even that disciple could survive all that!_

_That's right,_ Rajura agreed. _I put that Lugan under some of my best maho! He should have attacked the others on sight!_

Shuten, meanwhile was more concerned about something else. _These gifts, what are they and what do they do? How is collecting them related to whether or not we can kill the upstarts on the opposing side? If we're supposed to be collecting them, why is it that we've been following those Troopers since spring? We should have been hunting these gifts down ourselves!_

Anubisu pointed out something else, _Badamon, you only contact us when you are in trouble with Arago-sama or doing some little errand. Since you're not giving instruction, that means that you've done something wrong for Arago-sama. What did you do? Why are you discussing it with us unless it is us that made the mistake? What is going on?_

Faced with so many questions and a four-on-one inquisition, Badamon didn't bother to dignify them with an answer. In fact, he only said one thing. _Arago-sama, do you see what I mean?_

The next thing the four of them knew they were down on the ground, withering in pain as some sort of shock was sent repeatedly through their systems. The pain was intense, though not focused in any one area, like white hot knives penetrating their skin and settling deep inside, burning from the inside out, the outside in, in all directions.

Just as suddenly as it happened, it was gone. All of them were panting on the ground, trying to breathe and get back the bearings they had so terribly lost.

_Now get to castle Yagyu!_ Badamon shouted, a last flick of pain to top off a morning of blazes.

* * *

Touma finished rolling up his bedroll and put it on his saddle. He brushed his hair back and put on his cap. Finally, he and the others were on their way out of Suiss. Shin was hardly fully healed, but at least he was healed enough that they could move. Touma himself was letting his burns heal naturally. Shin had been their top priority. Ryo, thankfully, had helped by pulling the heat away from the burns. So now that they could actually travel, they were leaving. As quickly as possible.

The actual leaving part was going to be tricky. Seiji, Shin, and Shuu were figures that would be easy to point out in Sthiss. Shuu's loud entrance made his face easy to recognize, Seiji would be easy to spot as an elf, and Shin--well, Shin was wanted by every monk-sir and Sthissian in the country. It was also becoming the rainy season, which meant they had to get to Luga and fast in order to beat the snowfall.

So they came up with one of the most bizarre plans Touma had ever heard. Shin, Seiji, and Shuu were to be disguised as corpses and they would charter a ship to go down the Snake River and enter into Luga under the rouse of returning bodies to their homelands. Once on the boat, they'd take over and escape. Since they'd be on the river, Seiji would have more open contact with the sun and finally recharge. Touma himself, by contrast, had been flying every day, below the canopy of the jungle, and was at full strength. Once Seiji's maho was back at full, Shin would be fully healed, as well as himself. At least, that was the idea.

"You know," Shin stated, "I'm kind of going to miss this hovel."

"It is rather peaceful," Ryo agreed. "I like staying here whenever I have to work in Suiss. It's usually not disturbed and a good hideaway. Now come here, Shin. It's your turn for some convincing makeup."

Touma turned and almost jumped when he saw Seiji. The Korin elf had some sort of powder to lighten his hair to a more grayish color. Ryo's makeup job also made the elf look much older and there were scars that made Seiji unrecognizable.

"I take it that I look sufficiently different?" Seiji asked with a bemused smile.

"I'd say yes," Touma replied. Together they went to the pack horses to continue to get ready for their ride into Sthiss. Shuu was busy removing any signs that the hovel was ever inhabited.

"Ryo," Touma called over. "Are you sure this will work? This has to be one of the most unusual plans I've ever heard."

The disciple chuckled. "Oh don't worry. I've had to smuggle both myself and a lot of people out of Sthiss before. This is by far one of the most reliable ways to get someone out of the country."

"I'm not so sure about this," Shin replied. "It feels like anything could go wrong."

"That's why you're wearing makeup," Ryo answered. "That way, if anyone wants to check to corpses, you won't be recognizable as you." Ryo pulled out the powder that he had used on Seiji's hair and applied it to Shin's temples, giving him an older look as well, though not as old as the elf appeared. "That should do it. Your turn, Shuu."

Shin got up stiffly and limped over to Seiji and Touma, wanting to help.

"Shin, you only just got well enough to travel," Touma stated bluntly. "Sit down and relax. Traveling as a cadaver isn't going to be easy." The tired monk-sir nodded and sat, looking very weary.

"As hard as the travel may be, I'll be glad when I'm out of this country." Shin sighed. "I need time to think about all this."

"We all need time to think about a lot of things," Seiji stated, "however, we are too busy for that right now. We must find the stolen Inochi no Madatama. Only after our quest will we have time to think of all that has transpired."

"I'm not sure I can wait that long," Touma muttered. The Oni mark was something he needed to think about long and hard. He'd almost be fine with the idea of being king if it weren't for the Oni mark.

He really hated admitting that. All of the reasons he had for not wanting to be king seemed so petty when compared with the solitary idea of having to put an Oni mark on someone.

"Okay Shuu, you're all set." Touma, Seiji, and Shin turned to see Shuu with darker hair and scars on his slightly aged face.

"Ryo, how did you get so good with makeup?" Touma asked.

Ryo smiled, and replied, "After this long a life, you tend to pick up a lot of talents." Packing up the makeup and putting it on a pack horse, Ryo turned to the three disguised members of their group. "Time to wrap you up."

Shin tenderly touched his finally healed ribs. "The sooner we get this over with, the better."

Touma and Ryo wrapped the three of them in blankets and draped them over their horses.

"If you need to talk to us," Touma said, "use the mental link. Bodies aren't supposed to talk."

"Indeed," grunted Seiji.

Touma mounted his horse, and kept an arrow cocked in his bow. Ryo grabbed the reins of the packhorses and their "corpses". It was time to go into town. They went slowly, entering lower Suiss with great caution. Ryo pulled out his swords, looking like the menacing bodyguard he was playing. It added an air of credence to the rouse they were trying to pull. Though the fire disciple was physically how he normally looked as a human, instead of his monk-like clothes, he instead wore a bright red sleeveless shirt. The fact that Byakuen was by his side also added to his fierce roll.

As for Touma himself, he had entered Sthiss under the guise of a nervous, twitchy assistant with a cap that usually hid his face. Now he was leaving dressed as a prince, trying to keep a noble and regal air around himself. With any luck, there would be no similarity between the nervous assistant and the princely figure.

_Don't worry,_ Seiji murmured. _You look nothing like when you entered Sthiss. Nobody will know you're the same person._

_I certainly hope so._

The ruins of Lower Suiss appeared nearly deserted, save for the priests on every corner. Though both Touma and Ryo were human, the monks eyed them suspiciously. The prince ignored them, acting as if they were below his notice. They continued through the paths, their long train of horses following them nervously with Byakuen's presence. An occasional Sthissian would scurry through the streets, tossing a hateful look towards them.

Crossing a thrown-together bridge and entering the human section of Suiss showed that the humans were not better off than the Sthissians they so loathed. Homes were crumbled and humans were begging in the streets now that their fortunes had been stolen, burned, or destroyed.

_We're leaving the country like this?_ Touma observed sadly.

Ryo nodded gravely. _We don't have a choice._

_That doesn't mean we have to like it,_ Shin added. Touma raised an eyebrow. Shuu was being unusually quiet. Granted, they all had things they needed to think about after such a large battle, but Shuu was withdrawing even more than the rest of them. The prince was getting concerned.

_Don't worry,_ Shin stated, picking up on Touma's thoughts. _He's working on it. I think once we're out of here, he'll get better._

Touma hoped so. His eyes wondered the streets, keeping an eye out. With the city in this state, anything could happen.

Sure enough, something did.

One of the pack horses suddenly neighed, making Ryo and Touma look back. A human and Sthissian beggar seemed to be trying to rob them.

"Byakuen!" Ryo cried out, mounting the large tiger. Together, they chased the would-be thieves. Touma, not wishing to take any chances, whirled his horse around, stood in the saddle and sighted down his arrow.

_Touma!_ Shin cried out. _These people have had enough!_

Touma didn't listen. He let the arrow fly. His aim proved true. The arrow punctured the rags that the human was wearing, but not the flesh. Cocking another arrow, he sighted again.

_Don't scare me like that. . ._

The next arrow hit the Sthissian in the same manner. It succeeded in scaring both the beggars witless as they stumbled in surprise. Byakuen approached roaring and growling. Ryo dismounted and raised his swords. Given the racket that was being made, it didn't take long for a pair of sirs to arrive, spears ready. Ryo and Touma would have none of that, however. The prince let his arrows distract the sirs and prevented them from getting to close. Byakuen pounced on the beggars, frightening them, and giving them a chance to run. Ryo made to chase the beggars as well but artfully tripped up the monks instead.

Naturally, the sirs did not like that, so they had a long talk with Ryo. So when the sirs finally left, they were rather black and blue. Ryo returned to where Touma and the others were with a bemused smile on almost all of their faces.

_First, we make a loud entrance, now we make a loud exit,_ Touma observed.

_At least this time, it was not intended,_ Seiji commented, amusement in his voice.

"I think we can be on our way, boss," Ryo said. "Byakuen'll be along when he's done with the robbers. I don't think we'll have any more trouble."

"We'd better not," Touma stated in a haughty manner. "I'm paying you with your pet cat to keep trouble away."

True to prediction, they had no more trouble as they went to the harbor. Byakuen came by and resumed his walk by Ryo's side, a feral grin on his face. The disciple leaned down and murmured something to the tiger, which purred in response.

"Well, boss," Ryo translated, "it appears the beggars ran all the way to the jungle. Byakuen here thought it more prudent to stay with us so he let them go running for mommy."

"Good."

As they approached the harbor, the streets became more crowded with humans trying to sell enough merchandise to buy their way out of the city. As Touma and Ryo came along with their pack horses and "bodies", the crowds parted. They chartered their ship like they wanted. The only hindrance where Touma held his breath was when the captain insisted on checking the bodies. Still, the makeup job that Ryo did was very convincing.

Almost an hour later, they were well out of sight of Suiss and traveling down the Snake River at a good speed. The boat was small, but the five of them agreed that they'd be able to sail as long as they needed on the ship. As they stowed their packs away in the cargo hold, they unpacked Seiji, Shin, and Shuu as well.

When night came, Touma and Ryo sat down to eat with the captain. Ryo sent word down to the others that the time was right to take over the ship.

"Captain," Touma started. "I'd like to thank you for the use of your ship in getting back to Luga."

"No problem," the captain replied. "You certainly got good money, so I'm happy to oblige."

"I'm so pleased with your service," the prince continued, "that I'd like to offer an extra bonus." He slid forward a small stack of money. "I think this will cover the loss of your ship."

"Loss of my ship?" The captain reached for a dagger, but it was too late. The door opened to reveal the three dead men from the cargo hold.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Seiji bowed. "However, it is time for you to leave."

"What?"

Shuu reached over, hefted up the startled seaman and walked to the rail. "Have a nice swim." The captain splashed into the river while Shin took the looked over the ship, mindlessly wrapping the captain in clean water for a safe swim to shore.

"Good choice," he stated. "We'll make good time with this."

"Well now that that's settled," Seiji murmured, "I'm going to get some sleep."

Shuu grunted an agreement. He and the elf went below deck while Shin looked longingly at the steering of the boat. After a few moments pause, the quiet monk-sir shook some of the powder out of his hair and happily took the helm of the ship, though it would be too dark to actually navigate. But if Touma were to wager a guess, Shin would use the water to guide him and not his sight.

Touma turned to the fire disciple. "Can I talk with you?"

"Sure," Ryo replied, though his voice was tired. They walked to the front bow. Below deck, Seiji and Shuu were asleep and Shin was blissfully navigated the water. "So what do you want to know?" Ryo asked.

"How did the Oni mark come about?"

Ryo sighed, his shoulders slumping. For the first time Touma felt just how old Ryo was. The disciple looked tired. Not the tired from a long day, or even a long year. The kind of tired that the elderly had after living a very long life, only Ryo's seemed magnified.

"I wondered when you'd get to asking about that," he replied.

"Are you alright, Ryo?"

Running a hand through his hair, the ancient young man responded, "I'm just tired. Sthiss, by its very nature, is very draining. Every time I visit I get a little more drained."

Touma looked to Ryo in the moonlight and frowned. Even though the face was still the face he had seen since they met in the Outlet months ago, it somehow seemed much older.

"Would you rather join Shuu and Seiji and get some sleep?"

"No," Ryo replied. "You deserve an answer. All of you deserve answers, but at least you're asking them."

Touma raised an eyebrow. That implied that the others were just as disturbed by what happened in Sthiss as him, and they also were left with a lot of questions. And if Ryo had to deal with all four of them, no wonder he was so tired. Touma silently vowed to help the Rekka in helping the others get through their problems. The withdrawing they were all doing was going to have to stop.

"The Oni mark started shortly before my time."

Touma couldn't help it. He balked. He had no idea that the mark and been around even longer than Ryo!

"Shortly before I was born, Hashiba was starting to have difficulties with the trade with Yuuki. That helped end up with the political reasons that the Fifty Year War was blamed on. One of Hashiba's noble family's was plotting with Badamon to try and take over the throne."

"Ouch," Touma muttered.

"Indeed. From what I was told, everyone in the family was a set of bad apples. After a couple attempts on his life as well as the death of his son, the king of Hashiba lashed out, creating the Oni mark. He hired a Kitsune as an assassin with the order, 'Kill the family that opposes me.' The Kitsune took the king to his word. He slaughtered the family, men, women and children. It was staged to look like a robbery, but when it was over, everyone in Hashiba kinda breathed a sigh of relief. The bad apple family had made a lot of enemies besides the king. Since the king liked the fact that the people were happy with the execution, he publicly announced that the family was a bunch of Oni. Before the meaning was lost, Oni meant 'traitor' or 'demon,' depending on how it was written. Thus the legal books got the Oni mark. Since Hashibans were already starting to be ancestor-conscious, it seemed the best way to deal with the situation."

"That was some Kitsune," the prince murmured.

"Very," Ryo agreed. "Like the rest of his family, he was fiercely loyal to the king. It's hard to believe that his descendant is Shuten."

"WHAT?"

"Sounds like something out of a bad fantasy tale, doesn't it?"

Touma just gawked at the disciple.

"You can appreciate the irony, can't you?"

Touma remained silent.

"If you have any more questions, talk to me in the morning. For now, I'm going to bed."

Touma looked up to the night sky, with far more questions than he ever had before.

* * *

Shin laid himself out at the stern of the ship, enjoying the gentle rocking of the water far more than he should be at the moment. He was also imitating his elf friend and soaking up the sun. After being stuck in the hovel while healing, he had been wondering if he'd ever feel the sun again. They were lucky, because it was also a rare day to be so sunny. With the rainy season creeping in, the sun tended to get rather fickle on when she wanted to show herself. Shin also admitted to himself that it was nice to lie down because he wanted to, instead of having bumps and bruises all over him. Seiji had finally recharged the other day, and now everyone on the ship was physically healed.

Said elf was manning the helm and Touma was in the sails, giving the wind a gentle push to help them get to Luga that much faster. Shuu and Ryo were down with the horses and Byakuen. Come to think of it, Shuu hadn't come above deck for more than a few minutes. It was starting to worry the monk-sir that his childhood friend wasn't joining them. All of them were sort of withdrawing from each other. Given the events in Suiss, that was understandable, but Shuu was pulling away more than any of the others.

A thought distracted him.

"Seiji, we have some debris caught below the water level. Ten degrees, port."

The Korin looked to Shin as if he had just spoken in some unknown language.

"Port?"

"Turn towards the left."

"Ten degrees?"

"Given the size of the wheel, I'd say about an eighth of a turn."

Seiji turned the wheel.

"Left, not right."

"Right."

"No, left."

"Exactly."

The two stared at each other for a moment, and then chuckled. Shin sat up and looked at the elf. Seiji appeared uncomfortable under the observation, his ears twitching.

"You know," Shin started, "I think that's the first time any of us have laughed honestly and without bitterness since the whole mess in Sthiss started."

Seiji nodded, understanding the stare now. "Despite having the jungle alongside us as we travel the river, I feel blessedly removed from the country right now."

"Precisely," the monk-sir agreed. "I'm not so sure if I like being 'removed' though."

"Oh?" Seiji asked; an eyebrow and ear rose. "How is that so?"

Shin frowned, looking down to the deck. "I'm not really sure how to explain it," he answered. "The sheer volume of emotion that even the name 'Sthiss' now evokes in me is still very raw and very deep. I was hurt in Sthiss. Not in any physical way, nor in any way to shake my Kaosan beliefs. However, what I saw in that country is something so utterly twisted and foul, I feel that I am doing something wrong by leaving and not trying to help."

"Despite the fact that the country's very existence hurts you?"

Shin smiled softly. "I can't help it. I want to help people. I always have. All of us do. But I think the country I want to help may end up killing me."

A growl sounded behind him and Shin jumped to see the tiger behind him, looking rather stern. The tired monk looked on, confused as Byakuen lay down behind him, offering his side as a comfortable back rest, much the way he would to Ryo.

"Byakuen," Shin muttered, "I'm not Ryo, your master."

The tiger's tail fwapped Shin's face.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Perhaps 'master' is an improper term for their relationship," Seiji offered, hiding a smile.

"Then what?" Shin asked, halfway amused. "Owner?"

Fwap.

"Boss?"

Fwap.

"Trainer?"

Fwap. Fwap.

"Friend?"

The tiger gave a slight purr, but shook his head.

"Family then."

Byakuen snuggled up to Shin, approving greatly of the term. "I guess the rest of us are family too," the priest muttered, stroking the feline head next to him.

"Actually," Seiji murmured, "that is a very true statement. We all support each other like a family. We aide each other, tease each other, be ourselves with each other. The five of us act like a family. Perhaps that is why Byakuen considers us just as much his family as he does Ryo."

"But we're not acting much like a family right now, are we," Shin replied. "We're pulling away. The four--no--five of us were hurt in that city, more than we can really admit to ourselves, let alone each other."

"Ryo did not face a Masho," Seiji stated.

"No," Shin agreed, "But he has to help all of us. He worries about all of us. Have you noticed that Ryo feels older than normal?"

The Korin nodded. "While we worry about our individual problems, he worries about all our problems." Seiji chuckled softly. "He tries not to show his worry, but he does everything he can to aide us. I think we're taking him for granted."

"Thankfully, he's focusing on Shuu right now," replied Shin. "I worry about him as well. We're supposed to be best friends, but it's like he's just shut down on me. He isn't talking. Or rather, he doesn't talk unless he absolutely has to." Shin's frown deepened. "There's something he's not telling us about when he was seeing us as the Masho."

The Korin tried to hide his shudder. It was an unsuccessful attempt.

"Seiji?"

"You know that I had to help Shuu with that incident, correct?"

"Yes," Shin replied slowly, not sure what to expect.

Seiji readjusted helm to where it was when they started their conversation. "It was . . . not a good experience for me. I'm not sure how it was for Shuu, but I doubt it was better than me."

After a moment's hesitation, the monk asked, "What exactly happened? Neither of you ever talk about it."

"I'm not sure it's not my place to say about Shuu," Seiji responded, "however for me, I was petrified."

Shin's eyebrows raised and he sat forward.

"Our mental link is very versatile but something we take for granted is the amount of privacy that our link also provides."

"Privacy?"

"Yes," Seiji replied. ". . . When I had to use my maho on Shuu . . ." Pausing, his ears twitched before he continued. "I was . . . engulfed is the only way to put it. I wondered if I'd ever be fully myself again."

"I don't understand," Shin replied. "What engulfed you?"

"Shuu."

Shin's eyes widened. Shuu, by his very nature, had a strong personality. If Seiji had been "engulfed" by the Lugan, then being "fully himself" would indeed by a concern.

"It sort of reminds me of Sthiss."

"I do not see the connection," Seiji replied.

"You were submerged in all that was Shuu. I was submerged in all that was Sthiss. It's more than just 'petrifying'. It's suffocating. You look around you and see things so alien that you wonder if what you're seeing is real or an illusion. And just when you think that nothing more could shock you, the rug is pulled out from under you and you're left falling into some sort of abyss that you didn't even know existed."

Both shuddered.

"I thought I was the only one who felt that," Seiji murmured.

"The same way Shuu was very strong for you, Sthiss was overpowering for me. That is why, the only way I can really describe what I felt in the country, is raw." Shin ran a hand through his humid-damp hair. "I am not wavering in beliefs. However, I wonder if I should have the pride of my priesthood like I've had. Is it something worthy of pride? Or is that just another trap to turn people into the filth that infest that country," Shin stated, pointing to the jungle shore to the north of them. "The guilt I feel over being unable to help the downtrodden, either human or Sthissian, is almost unbearable at times. The pains at having to watch as people were treated even worse than an animal gnaws at me, leaving even more pain to fester."

Byakuen purred and rubbed his striped head against Shin's side.

"That is a lot to deal with," Seiji agreed. "And I think that all of us are going through the intensity you've described of, though with some different feelings."

"Lucky us."

* * *

There was an odd noise.

Still asleep, Anubisu tried to register it. Was it rain? No; as he listened he realized that there was a blessed moment of reprieve from the rain. There was no patter of raindrops on leaves, or the rushing of water through dips in the ground. It was not rain. Then what?

His half ear twitched, and Anubisu rolled over, trying to stay asleep. But the noise persisted, and with his mind unable to recognize it, it categorized it as foreign. A potential threat. Almost against his will, Anubisu woke up.

Resisting the urge to groan, the Yami sat up, observing his surroundings. His sight had returned several days ago. One to two days travel from the mountains of Luga, they had left the tiny village of Thiss two days previous, after staying only long enough to restock their supplies. Somewhere along the way, someone--most likely Shuten or Rajura--had purchased some sake. The pair had used it up liberally that evening while they played cards, and both were sleeping off the affects, oblivious to the hacking noise.

Yes, Anubisu had finally identified the sound. It was a steady hacking sound. Looking over, he saw that Naaza's bedroll was empty.

Sighing, he got up, grabbed his sword, and followed the hacking. A ways away from the camp, Naaza was using one of his many swords in what appeared to be an attempt to chop down a tree. A few feet away from him, an ancient giant had fallen and was gathering the local foliage. Was the Doko trying to make a mate for the giant?

"What are you doing?" Anubisu asked.

The hacking stopped, and Naaza, swaying slightly on his feet, turned around to face the Yami. Only then did Anubisu notice the sake bottles at the green haired man's feet.

Anubisu rolled his eyes. "Why is everyone determined to get drunk tonight?"

"I can't."

Anubisu looked at the Doko. He swayed, and his speech was slow, but he did not slur, and his eyes were clear. He was only very high.

Naaza kicked the empty bottles over to Anubisu. "I can't get drunk."

"Why?" the dark elf asked. Without looking like he was, he counted the bottles. Involuntarily, an eyebrow rose. Naaza had had all of that and was only high?

"I realized something," the Doko answered. "When we were at Thiss. Alcohol, depending on how you look at it, is a poison. I'm half Sthissian, and my maho is summer. I'm immune to poison. Doing this," Naaza took an unopened bottle and proceeded to chug half of it, "should go straight to my head and make my cry like a baby. It didn't." Pausing, thinking, Naaza tossed the half bottle to Anubisu. "Here. It'll do you more good than me." The Doko looked at his sword and the half chopped tree. "Even this isn't helping." He sheathed his sword and sat down on the giant in frustration.

Anubisu looked at the bottle in his hands, vacillating in indecision.

Naaza seemed to read his mind. "One drink won't kill you."

That was true. But one drink more often than not led to another and another. The very idea of losing a little bit of his lifetime's worth of self-control. . .

Naaza scoffed. "What's with you and that stuff? You never touch it. Do you have a weak stomach or something?"

"No. . . No. I just know too well what happens when too much of this is used."

The snake looked at Anubisu. "I'll stop you," he said slowly. "Worse comes to worse, I'll take your sword and tie you up."

The Yami shook his head. "You're thinking about the one time I got drunk?"

"Was there another?"

"Yes. Many, many, many others. But not with me. With. . ." His voice trailed off as he stared at the bottle that glared back at him in his hands. He could use some numbing right now; his encounter with Trooper Date Seiji was still fresh in his mind, as well as the still unexplained torture they had received from Arago-sama. There were too many questions in his head, and he found himself often working on overload. God's curse him, he needed to talk. His mouth moved, his lips forming the words, but his voice refused to work.

Cursing in anger, Anubisu took a swig of the sake. It seemed to dissolve as it traveled down his throat, and it was not long before the alcohol was working in his head and loosening his tongue.

"My father," he said finally.

Naaza raised a hairless eyebrow. "Your father?"

"How much do you know about me?" Anubisu asked.

"But as much as you know about me," was the reply.

Nodding, Anubisu debated before taking another swig. He really needed his inhibitions free if he wanted to talk about this.

"There were four of us. Father, Mother, myself, and my little sister. Mother did not think that raising two children in the northlands, where the Yami and Korin perpetually skirmishing, was a good place to raise children. Father agreed, so we packed up and sought help from the high elder."

"He said you were dishonored."

"It's a little more complex than that. He declared us cowards for not wanting to fulfill our duty and destroy every Korin spawn we saw in those northern borders. Father didn't take that to well. He moved to strike the high elder."

"Not a good thing to do, I take it," Naaza said lightly.

"Hardly," Anubisu replied. "We were cast out of the Yami. We were sent off to live on our own and forbidden to ask aide from other elves. Then winter came."

"Winter?" Naaza shuddered at the very thought.

"It was one of the coldest, worst winters, in decades. We had five feet of snow with the first blizzard. Food got very scarce very quickly. It either died off or was horded by the Yami that refused to help us." Anubisu paused, reliving the memories. He took another, long gulp of the sake, not caring about the control he lost, so long as it took the pain away. "My little sister died that winter."

Naaza's eyes widened. "She did?"

"She was only six. She just wasted away. After that, Father found this a very handy crutch and Mother. . ."

Anubisu moved to take another drink, but Naaza grabbed the bottle and yanked it away from the dark elf. "You've had enough," he said simply.

"Those pieces of guano. Those bastards!" The old rage asserted itself in Anubisu; his fists shook and his face contorted with it. "They don't know anything. Anything! How many honorable elves have they killed just because they didn't kowtow to their every wish? Guano bastards! All of them!"

Naaza, apparently deciding enough was enough, threw a fist into the Yami's jaw. There was a moment of shock, and then Anubisu felt significantly sobered.

"Thank you."

"I told you I'd stop you," Naaza said. There was a pause, the two men lost in their own thoughts. "It was the least I could do," Naaza continued.

"Least you could do?" Anubisu repeated.

"You don't trust easily. Neither do I, but that's not the point. You've really tried to put your trust in me. You just told me something I don't think you've told anybody else. That says a lot. You're the first person I've met that has put trust in me."

Anubisu found himself at a loss for words, and oddly embarrassed. Why, he could not say. "Surely, there have been others. Your mother at least."

Naaza let out an odd, bitter, half laugh. "Ma only trusted the Sthissian half of me, and that was when she had time for me and wasn't off making the world pay for what was done to her. The gangs didn't trust me, I was half human." Naaza paused suddenly, his brow furrowing. "Although. I haven't thought about him since. . ."

"Him?" Anubisu prompted. He felt he should return the favor.

"After Ma died, I was kicked out. I hadn't learned about pick pocketing yet, and thought I was going to die of starvation on the streets like so many others before me. But a human, a HUMAN, walked by me and stopped. Without a word he grabbed my hand and dragged me to the fanciest human restaurant in all of Suissis. Told me I could have anything I wanted. I didn't trust him at all, but I ordered two of everything, just to tick him off. He didn't even blink and shelled out the ohash for it. I remember the tables near us wondering what he was thinking, feeding a Doko; I didn't care, I was having my first meal in weeks. Then he took me to the inn he was staying in and gave me the bed while he took the floor.

"I remember asking him why he was doing it, why he was giving a street snake like me such royal treatment. He just smiled and said I wouldn't cut his throat during the night; and god's curse him he was right. I didn't even take anything of his. I just lay in the bed and slept."

"A very brave human," Anubisu said, unsure what else to say.

"Weird looking too," Naaza said; his thoughts far away. "I remember thinking he dressed weird. Bright red, light tunic. Some kind of animal skin pants that were hand made. I remember staring at the stitching. Well-tanned skin; very blue eyes. . ."

Naaza suddenly sat perfectly erect. "No way. It couldn't be."

Anubisu was having similar thoughts. "Sanada Ryo?"

"It couldn't be," Naaza exclaimed. "It couldn't! What would he want with me at that age? Why would he do that?"

The dark elf was thinking of something entirely different, however. "Shuten said he'd met Sanada Ryo before, remember? At the trial. Some sob story about meeting him in a casino after his father was marked as an Oni. Rajura said that all the other Troopers had met them as kids."

Naaza caught on quickly. "Do you remember him from somewhere?"

"Of course not, I. . ." Anubisu stopped. Something in his mind had jumped when he started thinking about Kaosu's only disciple. A memory rammed itself into the forefront of his mind. "I was in the mountains," he whispered; a hand involuntarily going to the scar on his face. "I had just gotten the first part of the scar from those stupid human bandits. I was outnumbered, and beaten. A stranger with no cloaks or skins came across me and treated me. He was dressed in red."

"By the three god's curses, how many people dress in red that deep? Why didn't we recognize him?"

"What did he want?" Anubisu wondered. "He must have visited Rajura sometime too; what did he gain from doing that?"

"Was he trying to get us to follow that halfwit Kaosu? No, then he would have told us who he was. Then to get us to be nice to him? No, we're still going to kill him along with the other Troopers."

Anubisu suddenly straightened. Something clicked in the back of his mind beyond his perceptions. Reaching back, the Yami tried to pull it out to the front of his mind to work out what it was. "We can't kill them," he whispered.

"What?" Naaza demanded.

The Yami turned to Naaza, suddenly very fervent. "We can't kill them! That blue skinned freak Badamon said we couldn't kill them. That sir Shin survived, and Rajura's maho didn't work on the Lugan to kill the others. Korin Seiji should have killed me, but he didn't. That energy whatever Shuten and the prince made should have killed each other, but it didn't. Someone is keeping them, keeping us, alive."

"But WHY?" Naaza shouted. "Arago-sama told us that we would have to fight on our own, that he and Kaosu couldn't take part in anything. Who's pulling the strings? Who else has that kind of power?"

Both of their eyes widened simultaneously.

"Kayura."

"But why?"

"I don't know," Naaza replied. "Why does she do anything? What is she to the other gods?"

Anubisu shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know. Shuten's the Hashiban. He might."

Naaza bristled. "I'll be cursed before I ask that uppity gambler for anything!"

Quickly, Anubisu put his hand on Naaza's shoulder. "Sorry, sorry," he said. "I didn't think."

The snake waved it off. "No, I know. It's fine."

"Look, Naaza," Anubisu started; feeling an irresistible urge to say something. "I want you to know. . . You. . . I think of you as a friend."

Naaza looked at Anubisu. "Me. . . Me too."

The pair stared at each other, awkward and uncertain. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for either of them to do, they hugged each other. For the first time in a long time, the two of them found comfort in another person, a security and knowledge that the other was going to be there, an understanding of what they were going through. They were best friends, and they had finally admitted it.

Anubisu and Naaza suddenly realized what they were doing and jerked away from each other, embarrassed by the display of affection. They both stuttered, trying to wave off the experience, but neither could.

"Uh, yeah, so. . ."

"Ah. . . I agree."

"Let's get back to the campsite. We're only a few days from the mountains."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that." Naaza ran a hand through his green hair, pulling at the ends. "You have winter maho, and it's almost winter in Luga now. I don't suppose you can. . . control the weather or whatever."

Anubisu paused, thinking about it. "Not the weather, it's too complicated. Hang on." Anubisu straightened slightly, closing his eyes. "Ankoku Cho Uhigiri." Casting his senses out, the dark elf looked west to the mountains. He looked for cloud build ups and temperature changes; for snow and for hibernating animals. "We're cutting it very close," he said when he was finished. "It's about a week away from snow. If we push, we can just cut in under it. But it's already cold up there, freezing by your standards."

Naaza found himself smiling. "That's fine. I still have your blanket."

Anubisu grinned back.

* * *

Seiji exited from below decks, desperately wishing to cool down. Since it had been raining steadily for several days, most of them spent their time below decks, avoiding getting drenched. However, since the boat was small, it was rather cramped with seven horses, five people and a tiger, all of whom wanted their own space. So Seiji sought a temporary escape. It was also to get away from the thunderous silence below decks. It seemed that the only conversation was short-lived and never addressing the problems that they were all having. It was maddening listening to people talking without talking.

However, once the Korin elf exited the boat onto the decks, he was almost soaked through by the pounding rain. It was also a bonus to learn that they were indeed starting to enter the mountains, because the rain was freezing cold. Seiji debated momentarily about going back below decks to get a waterproof, but decided against it. One drenching in cold rain would not get him sick.

Walking to the front of the ship, Seiji leaned against the rail, letting the cool breeze and freezing rain cool him from the cramped, stuffy quarters below.

"Seiji!"

Said Korin rolled his eyes.

"You shouldn't be up without some kind of waterproof, you might get sick," mothered Shin, who _was_ wearing a waterproof and weighing anchor before joining the others below.

"Should that be the case, I am sure you will offer your services as a healer," Seiji replied. It wasn't that Shin didn't have a good point. The Korin just didn't really want to deal with people at the moment. His thoughts had been on the complexity of what had happened between him and the Yami, and even if his friends had a better understanding of elves and honor systems, this was a little beyond their comprehension. Seiji wished he had his grandfather around to talk about this. However, during private moments, like this one was supposed to be, Seiji had tried to reach out to his grandfather to no avail. His mental bond was with the other four. Either his grandfather didn't have the gift, or he was too far away.

After a pause, Seiji said, if somewhat wearily, "I'd really prefer to be alone right now. If you're so worried about my well-being, then why not just get me a waterproof and let me be."

Shin sighed. "Alright. I'm sorry about the intrusion. I just. . ." the monk-sir sighed again. "It's just that I'm having trouble with what I'm going through, so I'm focusing more on you guys. Except I can't help you, so I end up mothering."

The Korin offered a smirk. "You were raised by nothing but women. It is to be expected, then, that mothering comes naturally to you."

Shin didn't let the comment go without retaliation and reached over and ruffled Seiji's dripping wet hair. "I'll go get you a waterproof. Then you can meditate up here as long as you want."

"Thank you."

The young monk went below decks. Seiji gazed up at the clouds, or rather what little he could see of them in the dark. One would hardly believe it was only early evening, but given the sheer volume of rain they had been receiving, any chance of the sun peaking through was almost nil. Seiji really missed the sun. He missed looking up to the sky and seeing the bright white light that sustained him. Instead, he watched little patters of rain fall on his face, the boat, and everything within the vicinity.

Looking back to the deck, Seiji was surprised he could make out anything in the darkness, but his maho certainly aided his sight. Despite the darkness, he could see every color as if it was bright as day, due to every item's individual chi patterns. He no longer had to call upon the talent anymore; it came to him more and more naturally in times of darkness as he used his maho more and more. In a way, it seemed that Seiji's maho was responding to what it believed Seiji wanted.

Wait a minute, what was that?

There were some red droplets on the deck that weren't there a few moments ago. If he didn't know any better, they looked like. . .

Something large and matted landed on Seiji's shoulder, making him jump in surprise. The something, in response to the sudden movement, dropped down over the side of the boat. Seiji thanked his fast reflexes for being able to reach down and catch it. Sitting down and putting it in his lap, the Korin was very surprised to see it was a hawk. That was bleeding.

Shin opened the hatch to below decks, unaware of what had been going on.

"_Touma_!" Seiji called out, both with voice and mind.

Needless to say, Shin was shoved rather roughly out of the way when Touma came racing up the stairs to the hatch. Ryo and Shuu followed behind, if at a more discrete pace and helped Shin up.

"What?" Touma demanded, getting soaked in the rain as well.

Seiji created an orb of light so that the others could see better. In his lap lay Touma's beloved hawk, her feathers matted with rain and blood. As Seiji gently pulled apart the feathers to get a better look at where the blood was coming from, it soon became apparent that there was a long gash along the hawk's side, and the wing on that side couldn't fold in completely.

"Girl! What happened?" cried Touma, reaching out to stroke the hawk's head. She tried to flutter to his shoulder, but Seiji held firm, trying to examine the wound. Shin sat down beside him, trying the help in the examination. Ryo surprised all of them by changing into a hawk so suddenly, that he was there one moment and the next he was on perched on Seiji's shoulder, chirping to the hawk.

Shuu also leaned down to help.

"Will all of you give me room?" Seiji asked irritably. Once he had some space, he tenderly picked up the bird and brought it down below decks, the others following him, out of the frigid rain. Once below, he shook as much water out of his hair as he could and pushed it out so he could see what he was doing. Ryo, still perched on his shoulder, continued chirping with Touma's injured hawk. Shin sat by Seiji, already muttering his maho phrase before Seiji even had a chance to utter his own. Shuu kept Touma back, though the prince seemed determined to get past the large Lugan to hover near his beloved bird.

Ryo gave a satisfied nod and with a great leap from Seiji's shoulder, flew over to Touma and perched on his shoulder instead, chirping as he had before. This distracted the prince, as he now had to pay attention to Ryo in order to understand what he was saying. Seiji was very grateful at the moment that Touma's Tenkuu blood allowed him to communicate with birds.

The wound itself was simple to heal, but Seiji hesitated. He hadn't had to heal animals often since his acquisition of maho, and found he was rather nervous with the prospect. Shin sent a wave of reassurance towards him.

"Rai Ko Zan." As expected, the gash healed as the Korin brushed the negative chi away from the hawk. If only it was this easy to heal the chasms that were starting to appear within their group. But they were all troubled by the battle in Sthiss. Seiji couldn't get over how similar he was with the Yami, Anubisu. The dark long ear had done something honorable, by not kicking Seiji when he was down. In turn, it made the light long ear feel guilty for the torture that being enveloped in light must have been. There was also the fact that "darkness is purity," or so Anubisu had said.

The hawk in his lap nipped thankfully at his fingers, pulling Seiji out of his thoughts. With a quick flap of her wings, she landed on Touma's other shoulder, chirping rapidly as well. It was actually quite amusing, watching the prince continuously turn his head from one hawk to another, trying to get the full story of what happened. He finally slumped down.

"Ryo, human please?"

The hawk form of Ryo gave a chirp that sounded almost like a laugh before shifting back to his usual form.

"It was just an accident," Ryo stated. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "She was on her way back to us from scouting when a condor dove for some food it saw on the ground. The visual picture is actually quite amusing. The condor was diving into a clearing when she came out from the trees and they collided."

"At least she's alright," Touma whispered, stroking his hawk affectionately. "Lady, you gave me quite a scare there."

The hawk ducked her head, then nipped at his ear.

"You're welcome," the prince replied.

Seiji sneezed.

"I told you you'd get sick like that," Shin muttered, "Cho Ryo Ha."


	25. Luga 24

Two days later they docked at a small town, and Shuu took the point and led them up the mountains. By the end of the day the rain had turned to snow and they entered a wide mouthed cave. At this point, Byakuen purred affectionately, turned and left, undoubtedly heading back for Kaosu's Keep. They passed several people going in different directions, appearing and disappearing in the dim light that a series of oil torches provided. Many recognized their fellow Lugan, Shuu, and offered polite greetings. He responded with equal politeness, looking at everyone carefully, still doubting his eyes.

Ryo watched him with weary eyes as he walked beside him, but said nothing.

The next day they reached a vast cavern, the ceiling reaching dozens of feet into the air and extended what seemed to be hundreds of feet in diameter. Touma's hawk took great delight in soaring up to examine the unusual city from a bird's eye view. The normally common presence of stalactites and stalagmites were long since cleared away, in order for light, bounced back and forth through a series of delicately placed mirrors, to travel. Ryo listened as Seiji and Shin whispered in awed voices of how the light was generated, smirking.

The city itself seemed to be as large as the cavern. An underground river flowed in from somewhere, curving lazily through the cavern and through the city. The buildings were, obviously, constructed of stone, with large, wide windows to let in the light of the mirrors. Some had thin sheets of material drawn to provide privacy. The roofs were flat and made of a thinner stone or slate like material. The city was divided into even blocks and there were squares liberally strewn about. Fountains stood in each of the squares, using the water somehow from the river. As they approached the center of town, an odd edifice came into view. A spherical globe, standing several feet from the ground on a pedestal; it, too, was a mirror, and the mysterious source of the light. Directly above the globe was a shaft of light, presumably from a hole drilled into the roof of the cavern.

As they passed it, Touma eyed it, his thoughts very far away. Ryo caught bits and pieces of some kind of math coming from his mind, and Ryo quickly lost track of what he was doing.

Finally, Touma looked to Shuu. "How bright can it get here?"

"About this bright," Shuu replied; a quizzical look on his face.

"That's because of the mirrors, right?"

"Yeah."

"Is there anybody in charge of maintaining them?"

"The Mirror Master, yeah."

"I can double . . . no, triple the brightness. If you adjust some of the mirrors by a couple of degrees, add one or two in certain places. When were these mirrors set up? The angles are all wrong if you want more than an overcast sky at late afternoon."

It was true, even with the mirrors reflecting the light; the cavern was as dim as Touma had described.

"Huh?" was Shuu's reply.

"It all boils down to geometry and some simple trigonometry. See, what happens is--"

"Okay, that's enough," Ryo said quickly. Math was never his strong point, and Shuu's expression moved from one of confusion to one of a growing headache. "Shuu can get in touch with the Mirror Master tomorrow and you can but heads, okay?"

Touma merely nodded; his mind still on the globe and the mirrors placed throughout the cavern.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Seiji asked.

"Home," Shuu said simply.

Shin suddenly brightened. "Really? Oh, I can't wait to meet the other Fuans! How many of them are there now?"

Shuu paused, mentally counting. "Thirty seven; and that's just including my aunts, uncles, and their kids. If you want to include their cousins and my grand aunts and uncles and stuff, then you'd have to ask Mama. My immediate family is seven. Mama, Papa, me, Rinfi, Yin, Mei Ryu, and Chun Fa."

Seiji eyes twirled slightly. "That is a lot of names."

"You'll learn it very quickly," Shuu said; a smile on his face. Ryo expected it was the first smile he had given since the escapades in Sthiss. "It'll be chaos at first; everyone will be converging on you and trying to get your attention. Then you'll be yelling along with the parents trying to keep the peace."

Shin laughed. "There's no such thing a peace and quiet with Shuu's family. The best you can manage is just peace."

After several turns and twists, they arrived at a larger-than-normal stone building, very wide with many windows. There was a carved wood plaque that simply said, "The Fuans."

The inside was a tavern. Several people were seated at tables and eating. Two waitresses walked about the tables, and a thin haired man was working a bar.

"Shuu!" the three workers shouted. They promptly dropped their work and ran, throwing themselves upon him. The customers, seeing Shuu, also got up from their seats and moved to join in the growing mountain of people. "Shuu! Shuu!" said the older of the two waitresses. Upon closer inspection she could only be his mother; her graying hair was the same wild texture of Shuu's, and her eyes held the same sense of humor. The man from the bar by contrast held the same eyes and nose of Shuu, leading the others to believe him to be the father. The other waitress had the same hair color as Shuu's, but beyond that they could not see, as she and Shuu were lost in the people-mountain.

Shin, grinning happily, dug his way through the people until he found one of the parents. "Now, now," he said mildly. "That's mean. Here I bring him home safe and sound and you completely ignore me."

The parent--Shuu's mother--looked at Shin for a moment, taking in his face. "Shin?"

"The one and the same!"

"Oh Shin! It's so good to see you again! Come here, group hug!" Mama Fuan grabbed her husband and the other waitress and Shuu from under the tavern patrons--an impressive feat--and squashed them all in a gigantic bear hug. There were several sputters and gasps for air, but only when Mama Fuan let go did everyone get a chance to breath. "How are you?" Mama Fuan asked, not breaking step. "How's your mother? Her health? I see you've become a monk-sir. What brings you out here, a transfer? You'll be hard pressed for work here, Kayura-sama looks after us very well. How have the blues treated you? And Shuu! I thought you were on break, I wasn't expecting to see you for another year. Are you on assignment again so early? How many people have you beaten up, I've lost your last tally. How many wrongs have you righted? Any more people begging to join you? Is that what these three over here are trying to do? A little mismatched, aren't they? How long--"

"Mama!" shouted the waitress. She was one of Shuu's sisters, apparently. "How can they answer your questions if you keep piling more on them?"

"Quite right, quite right. This way, this way, into the kitchen. Just let us finish with our customers, and we'll close shop early. It's so great to see you! So great I could just pop!"

And so she went on, not even pausing for breath as she glided back to the patrons--they had taken their seats when they realized they weren't going to learn anything while Mama Fuan was talking--and went back to serving them. Papa Fuan reluctantly went back to the bar, looking as the customers with a steely sort of glare that suggested they had better finish soon. The second waitress and Shuu's sister led them behind the bar and to a swinging door.

Beyond that was the kitchen. The waitress quickly informed everyone that they were going to close early. Seeing Shuu, another tackle fest occurred, this time much more sedated. Ryo and the others just sort of looked on, no one really sure what to do or say and not altogether sure they wanted to be part of a crushing bear hug.

It was an hour before the tavern finally closed, and Mama Fuan converged upon the five. Even Ryo took an involuntary step back.

"Now then, what's happened?" she asked.

Shuu grinned goofily, more at ease than he had been in weeks, and put an embarrassed hand behind his head. "Oh, this and that."

"I know you Shuu," Mama Fuan said. "It's never just 'this and that.' It was something big, wasn't it?"

The smile faded from Shuu's face, and he looked down. He paused, thinking about what he was going to say, and then answered. "First of all, I think I should introduce you. These are my friends. You know Shin already. Next to him is Date Seiji," the Korin elf bowed politely, "Hashiba Touma," Shuu's parents gasped and Touma looked away, "and, if you believe it, Sanada Ryo."

Ryo bowed to the family as the three of them stared at him. "You are Mama and Papa Fuan, and one of Shuu's little sisters. Rinfi, I believe."

The young waitress blinked. "How did you know?"

Ryo smiled. "I've been watching Shuu and the others for many years. As a result, I've come to know their families. Where are the other three?" he added, looking around. "The two youngest aren't old enough to work yet, are they?"

"No," Shuu interjected. He looked pointedly over his shoulder to the back of the kitchen. There were two heads peering in from one of the windows. "Knowing them," Shuu continued loudly, "they're probably watching us from somewhere so that they can sneak up on us later and try to surprise us. Am I right?"

"Very right!" said one of the voices, a girl.

"Stupid! You gave us away!" a boy half whispered, half shouted. Everyone in the kitchen laughed as the boy and girl sulked inside. Shuu picked them up easily and tossed them in the air.

"Wow, you've grown," he said lightly. "You're getting heavy."

The little girl tried unsuccessfully to kick him. "You're not supposed to talk about a girl's weight!" she cried out, eliciting more laughter.

Shuu turned to Ryo and the others. "These little scamps are two more of my siblings. The cute little girl here is Chun Fa, the youngest and self-proclaimed sanest member of the family." Chun Fa tried to kick him again. "And the meaty little boy is the pilferer of food, the laziest of lazy, and most determined to get in trouble, Mei Ryu."

"What kind of introduction is that?" the boy demanded. He stuck his tongue out at his older brother and looked to his mother. "Is there anything to eat?" he asked.

Everyone laughed again.

"This still doesn't answer my question," Mama Fuan finally said. "What's happened to have you come running home?"

Shuu made a face. "I'd hardly call it running. Where's Yin, I want him here for this so I won't have to explain everything again."

"He's working," Papa Fuan replied. "Got a job over the summer. Works in the mines."

"Almost everybody works in the mines," Shuu said, waving it off. "Which mine?"

"The Diamonds," Papa said seriously.

Shuu balked. "The Diamonds? Does he like the idea of looking over his shoulder all the time? There are so many robbers and thieves he's--"

"We know," Papa said firmly, cutting off Shuu. "We said the same things when he told us where he wanted to work. He says it's what he wants to do. He said if being your brother didn't protect him from the bandits, then his cuteness would. Besides," he added, smiling faintly. "He was sick of the whole family teasing him."

"Well," Ryo said slowly, a gleam in his eyes as an idea hit him. "If he's in the mines, you could probably go get him. You should be at your strongest in all these caverns and rock. See if you can 'dig him up'."

Shuu, with everyone else, blinked for a moment, before the four caught on.

"I can do that?" he asked, a funny glint in his eyes.

"You should," Ryo said. "Use the rocks as your eyes and find him."

Shuu was tense for a moment; he still didn't trust his eyes.

"You can trust your eyes that way more than now, if that makes you feel more at ease," Ryo said.

After a moment's worry, the glint returned, and Shuu closed his eyes. "Gen Ta Sai." he said, and Ryo and the others felt him leave in search of his brother.

"What's all this?" Papa Fuan demanded.

"Shuu, what are you doing?" Mama Fuan asked. "Shuu?"

"He is not here, right now, Fuan-san," Seiji answered. "He is out in the Diamonds finding his brother, Yin, I believe."

"What are you talking about?" Rinfi asked. "That's stupid."

Shuu returned quickly, as large grin spreading across his face. "I found him! Now comes the fun part!"

"Shuu, what--"

"In a minute, Mama. I'm about to pull the greatest trick this family's ever seen." Shuu straightened his arms and made his palms face the floor. His brow furrowed as he concentrated, and then shouted, "Gen Ta Sai!"

There was a low rumbling, and the two youngest children, Mei Ryu and Chun Fa, were quickly on the floor, followed by the rest of the family. Ryo and the others knew to grab something beforehand, and tried very hard to remain standing. The rumbling continued, slowly increasing in volume and vibration as if it were headed towards them. Which it was. The source of the rumbling made its way from behind the tavern to the kitchen to below Shuu's palms. The ground seemed to split open and within moments, the earth spat out Yin, filthy and sputtering, before closing up, leaving no trace of having ever done anything.

"Hi Yin," Shuu said lightly. "Surprised?"

Yin was short compared to his tall brother and father. His hair color was indeterminable because there was so much dirt in it. Dirt littered and smeared his clothes as well, blackening his skin. When he finally stopped gasping for breath and had enough presence to look around, the Fuan family blue eyes darted this way and that. Then his eyes lock on Shuu, and the working of his mind became visible, as what had happened began to sink in.

"Shuu? Surprised?!" he added, his voice rising. "I thought I was going to die! What in the name of the three gods happened?? What on earth to do you think you're doi--" Suddenly all the energy drained out of Yin. His face finally joined the rest of the family in blank confusion and wonder.

"I told you it was the greatest trick this family has ever seen!" Shuu said proudly. "I bet you didn't know I was strong enough to make the earth move."

Ryo and the others groaned at the pun, and as the family still looked on in incomprehension, Ryo took it upon himself to get to the point. "Well, in case you haven't put the pieces together yet," he said lightly. "I'll make it plain. Sou En Zan." His usual trick of a sword of fire burst into his hands. The Fuans jumped back, staring at him. "My name is Sanada Ryo, as Shuu said earlier. He, Seiji, Shin, Touma, and I are on a little bit of a quest. What you're witnessing is my maho. Shuu used his maho to find and bring home his little brother, Yin. We all have maho," he added as the youngest, Chun Fa, suddenly looked at Shin, Seiji, and Touma.

Mama Fuan put it best. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"

That finally launched them into the explanation of what had brought them to Luga. The story had lengthened since Shin's explanation to his mother in Peace, adding onto the trial at Tou Hashiba, the events at Daasa Laska, the training at Kaosu's Keep the happenings at Peace, their discoveries on the boat ride, and the disaster in Sthiss. Sthiss still being too fresh in many memories, Ryo took over the narration at that point. He glossed over the worst of the details, seeing the occasionally pained expressions of Mama and Papa Fuan, as well as knowing that the material was inappropriate for children as young as Mei Ryu and Chun Fa. It was very late at night by the time the dialogue was finished.

"Well, it's bedtime for a good many of us," Papa said, hefting up the dozing Chun Fa and Mei Ryu. "I'll put them to bed."

"I have to leave word at work that I didn't die," Yin put in. "They all probably think I was eaten by some mythical mountain demon. I have to tell them it was my brother." Rolling his eyes, he left to see if he could wake up a messenger. That left Mama Fuan and Rinfi, still in their waitress outfits.

"This is more that some excursion or war," Mama said, her blue eyes worried. "I've always worried about you in battle, but I reassured myself that you know what you're doing better than anyone else, that you have more skills and abilities than the people at the other side of the field. But this is a holy war! Gods are involved! How will I know you'll be okay?"

Ryo answered that. "Because the gods aren't involved. Kayura-sama understood that them doing their work directly could destroy this planet, that's why she made the two disciples and the eight chosen. My master and Arago-baka can only affect those chosen that are on their side. Arago-baka can't manipulate Shuu and the others any more than he can manipulate me. My master can't call out the Masho, either." He left out the part that he was picking up stray thoughts from Shuten and the other Masho. He didn't understand why that was and didn't want the others to worry over something that the gods had complete control of. "So, ultimately, it boils down to four on four. Maho to maho."

"But if Shuu could be controlled," Mama Fuan insisted. "If Shin could be hurt so badly. . ."

Shuu looked down, but Ryo put a hand on his shoulder. "The eight of them can't die," he said firmly. "We haven't reached the endgame yet, and all eight of them have to be there for it. Kayura-sama planned this out very carefully. She isn't about to see things change because of an accidental death. She'd throw a fit if that happened." Ryo grinned at the thought, causing Mama Fuan to smile faintly.

"You're right," she said finally. "I have to put my faith in Kayura-sama. She was the one to show us these caverns and teach us how to use mirrors. She will guide us."

Touma blinked, his eyes suddenly going very bright. "She was the one who thought up the ideas of mirrors? It was clever of her, but she wasn't very good at math, was she? She didn't really follow through, you know. I've been looking around when we were coming in, and I think I can triple the brightness of the place. She had the right idea, but it's all really haphazard."

Ryo waved at Touma. "You don't really want to say those things," he said, sweatdropping. "This is Kayura-sama's home; she can probably hear everything you're saying."

"What's the worst she can do?" Touma asked. "You just said she can't kill us, so what's left? Throwing a hissy fit?"

"Touma!" Ryo pleaded. "Please! I've told you how bossy she is, you don't want to get on her bad side."

The misplaced prince shrugged but said nothing more. His head turned to the windows, again drifting off to mirrors and angles and triangles. Shin picked up the now empty teacups that he had distributed at intervals during the narrative and took them to one of the kitchens massive sinks. He looked around, confused as to what he was supposed to do. Rinfi quickly went over and turned a knob, making water appear from a nozzle. Shin started, and Touma looked on in surprise.

"You have piped water?"

"We do," Rinfi replied. "The underground rivers and lakes are much more plentiful than outsiders tend to think, and piping it is much more convenient."

"It's not as easy in Hashiba," Touma nodded. "We barely have any rivers to speak of, and they're way off at the edges of our country. It'd be impractical to pipe it so many miles to a city as big as Tou Hashiba. Peace meanwhile is, what, three feet above land? I can't see piping working very well there either, especially during hurricane season. The salt water blown in would be disastrous."

Rinfi nodded. "Some of the plumbers are trying to branch out and find ways to make it easier. But for now Luga is their best testing ground."

Shin, ignoring both of them as they talked shop, washed the cups and small dishes with the running water and managed to turn it off. Ryo and Seiji turned to Mama Fuan.

"Do you know where we can sleep tonight?" Seiji asked.

Mama Fuan thought. "I'll be honest, we're crowded enough as it is, even with two of the children gone most of the year."

"I don't need a bed, if that helps," Ryo said. "I have ways of making myself small."

"Oh, we'll have none of that," Mama Fuan reprimanded.

"It is alright," Seiji interjected quickly. "I, too, can sleep on the floor, as I have done so my entire life."

Mama Fuan vacillated for a moment, her mind working. Finally, she came up with a solution. "Well, we can have Mei Ryu and Chun Fa sleep with us. They're still small enough for that." There came a groan as Papa Fuan came down. His head sank and he marched back upstairs for the new arrangement. "That's two small beds. I think there are some extra blankets that we can use. Hang on, let me have a look."

Mama Fuan disappeared, and Ryo and the others followed Rinfi upstairs. It was finally agreed that Shuu would take his old room and that Ryo would bunk with him. Shin and Touma would have the children's beds and Seiji would sleep on a collection of blankets on the floor. The lights finally turned out and Ryo shifted into his favorite form, the cat, and waited until Shuu was sound asleep before curling up himself on a pillow. He was soon dead to the world.

* * *

The freezing cold of the mountains could not be kept out of even the deepest caverns, and there was a definite chill the next morning when the other awoke. Mama Fuan and Rinfi were back at working the tables and Papa Fuan the bar. Even in the morning, the place was bustling with activity, so Shin deftly made his way about the busy kitchens and scrounged up some breakfast. They sat at an empty table and ate quietly at first, all of them at varying states of awareness.

Finally Touma woke up. Ryo had gotten used to looking at the signs. The blue haired prince looked up, suddenly aware of his surroundings. Then he looked down at his food and began to wolf it down. Ryo laughed slightly; he never got tired of that. Touma, realizing he was the object of the laughter, replied by sticking out his tongue at him. This caused the others to laugh. Ryo hoped that this meant it would be a good day.

"I'm going to go to the Mirror Master's today," Touma said finally. "I want to show him what I can do to make this place a little brighter, and Seiji's coming with me."

Seiji looked up from drinking his tea. "I am?" he asked.

Touma nodded. "Of course. If we're going to start working on the mirrors and their angles, I can't always depend on the light outside. The blizzards probably really darken this place, so we're going to need a steadier source of light. You can provide that, and also help with some preliminary testing to see if all my mental math is right."

Shocked, Seiji could only blink at first. Then his gaze turned slightly cold. "I do not wish to go."

Touma took his turn to blink. "Why not?"

"I do not wish to make a spectacle of myself."

"You'd hardly be making a spectacle of yourself," Touma said in earnest. "I'm hardly asking you to stand out in the main square under the globe and make yourself glow. Just make a few orbs of light here and there; I can experiment where the light bounces and calculate the angles and levels of adjustment needed."

"Nevertheless," Seiji said, sounding strained. "Word travels fast. I do not wish to have the masses stalking me and asking me to heal some relative or loved one. I would be unable to refuse, and then would drain my store completely; and I have no desire to repeat that. Also, I do not want any elves that may live here to see me as some kind of enlightened being when I am not. I do not want to be the center of any kind of attention."

"I understand that," Touma persisted. Ryo mentally winced. "But I'm talking about helping these people by literally making their days brighter. It's an improvement to the community. It's a Kaosan principle, right?"

Seiji put his head in his hands, looking for the entire world like he was dealing with a child. "I will try to make this plain, Touma. I do not feel that I am ready, worthy, whatever word you wish to use, to be of assistance to this community. I must be in a sound state to help people, and I am not in a sound state. I want to look into helping myself before I can help others. I cannot distract myself as you do."

Touma's face suddenly turned beat red. "You think this is a distraction? You think I'm running away from my problems? Then fine! I'll do it myself! At least I'm doing something to try and improve the situation! I'm not stuck in meditation all day and cutting off contact with everybody!" Without another word Touma stormed out of the room, followed by gazes of workers in the kitchens.

Ryo, as well as the others, were left dumbstruck. It was rare indeed to see Touma become so emotional about something. Seiji had obviously touched a sore spot. When the Rekka turned to Seiji, he saw that the elf was just as hurt as Touma. His eyes looked pained and he moved his mouth several times before he could find the words to speak.

"I. . . I'm sorry," he said finally. "I did not mean to cause such a disturbance. I did not know. . . I'm sorry." Seiji quickly got up and padded upstairs.

Shuu's sister Rinfi had come in at some point during the argument to see how they were doing. She spoke for everyone when she said, "I thought you guys said you were all close?"

Ryo, Shin, and Shuu gave a collective sigh, and Shin answered. "We are. Except when we're not. Like we said last night, we've all been hurt pretty recently, and we're all still a little raw from it. We all are dealing with it in different ways and it's starting to come into conflict. Touma distracts himself from his problems to the point of physically running away from them. Seiji ponders them in a meditative state. I try to talk about it, but there isn't really anyone to talk to anymore."

Ryo put his head in his hands as Shuu took offense. "You saying you can't talk to me anymore?"

Shin was taken aback. "I've tried! But you've completely closed yourself off to me. I don't think you've said more than a dozen words on our way here. You keep looking at everybody funny, and you won't let us try to help you. You just shrug us off and try to tell us it's nothing. That hurts you know!"

Rinfi took her cue to quietly leave as Shuu roared, "And you're just telling me this now? Why didn't you say so in the first place! I'm not the boulder brains everyone takes me for, you know. I've been hurting just as bad as you and your sensitive raw roller coaster! You didn't have your mind controlled by some stupid Gen's trickery. Do you have any idea what it's like to not trust what you see and hear? I have to continually convince myself that the conversation I'm having is really happening, that you're really in front of me and I'm not making it all up. That's just as bad, if not worse, than you walking around a country that you knew was going to upset you. But you keep running around for sympathy!"

"Shuu--!" Shin caught himself, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "We're dropping this conversation," he said in a quiet voice. "I don't want to say anything I'll regret later."

"Too late for that, isn't it?" Shuu stood up roughly and stormed out the back door. The entire kitchen was silent. Shin lingered for a moment, and got up and left through the front without a word, leaving Ryo to finish breakfast by himself and feeling more alone than he had in years.

Thoroughly depressed, Ryo stood up and trudged back upstairs to the room he shared with Shuu. All but landing on the bed, Ryo buried his head in his hands. He mentally tried to reach out to the others, but found that they were getting harder and harder to reach. He was losing contact with them just as he was gaining contact with the Masho. Didn't they see? Isolation and anger was Arago-baka's influence. ARAGO-BAKA'S, for crying out loud! The four closest friends he had ever had in all his two thousand years of life were drifting apart, and, gods curse it, there was nothing he could do. If this was the path they were headed, then he could not step in their way. It was forbidden. A disciple could not directly interfere with one of the Chosen. If they swayed to Arago-baka's side, there would be nothing he could do. He didn't want that. Selfish as it was, he wanted to keep them as his friends. He didn't want them to become so embittered and hurt like the Masho had. It was painful enough for those four; Ryo couldn't bear it happening to his four.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but quite suddenly he was aware that someone else was in the room. Looking up, he saw Seiji staring him down. Not for the first time, Ryo noticed that the Korin had very intense eyes. The pale lavender pierced into him, seeing every part of him.

"Ryo," Seiji said in an odd voice. He walked over and knelt down by him. The Rekka quickly joined him on the stone floor.

"Ryo," he said again. "You are old."

He could only grin half-heartedly in response. "Yeah I am."

"No, no," Seiji replied. "I mean you are OLD. You do not look it. You have a young face and body. You are spry and energetic. But you feel ancient, older than even my grandfather. There is a great weariness weighing down on you; it is almost crushing you."

Ryo blinked. That was exactly how he was feeling. "Seiji, are you an empath?"

The Korin shook his head. "No. I see it in your chi. I have for several days, but especially now. It was so strong it brought me out of my meditation. You are hurting, aren't you?" It was more of a statement than a question. Ryo found himself flustered and embarrassed that anybody had seen him this distraught.

"It's nothing really," he stammered. "I don't want to give you guys any more worries. Some of it I'm not sure I should even say," he added, thinking about them acting as Arago-baka wanted and knowing it was beyond his power. "I just don't like seeing you all like this."

"'Like this,' you mean fighting and being distant," Seiji said. Ryo again started wondering about the empathy. Seiji stared at him, his eyes intense and his face unreadable. Then he drew the Rekka into a warm hug. "I make no guarantees, but I will talk to the others. We will try to work this out. So please, try not to worry."

The mental bond with Seiji opened, and the Korin elf sent all the reassurance and support he had to offer. Ryo welcomed it warmly, and hugged Seiji back tightly. Ryo believed in his friends. He could not influence them, but he could trust them. Things were going to be fine. He suddenly, somehow, sensed that.


	26. Luga 25

When Shin returned from wherever he had wondered off too, Seiji all but yanked him aside and the two had a very, very, long talk. They both agreed, in earnest, that things could not go on the way they were, and that the only way to fix it was to help the others. Things quickly ground to a halt a they realized they had no idea how to even go about it. Shin was at a loss for ideas and Seiji fared little better. All he knew for sure, as he told Shin, was that he needed to talk to Shuu about what had happened in the clearing and in the mercenary's mind. Shin thought about that, and agreed. Seiji also, grudgingly, agreed to help Touma only when the weather was so bad that normally nothing could be accomplished. Shin decided to work on Touma. He was not sure how, but with Seiji's help they were able to put some ideas onto the table.

Two days later Seiji saw his chance and took it. He had been walking down the streets of the underground city, trying to familiarize himself with the layout. He saw Shuu further down the street alone.

He quickened his steps until he matched pace with him.

"Shuu."

The mercenary jumped. "Oh, Seiji. You startled me."

"You are coming with me."

"Not now, okay? I don't really feel like having another row with someone."

Irritated, Seiji grabbed the Lugan's wrist and started marching. Shuu was strong, and tried to pull himself free from the Korin's grasp, all the while swearing a blue streak, but Seiji held firm. He made random turns, taking himself deep into the city, looking for a good place for what had come to mind. Finding one of the larger squares, he deposited Shuu on a stone bench and sat so that he was facing the Lugan.

"What the blazes are you tryin' to do?" Shuu demanded.

Seiji ignored him and dove right into his idea. "Where are we?"

Shuu blinked, taken aback by the question. He glanced around his surroundings and looked pointedly at Seiji. "We're in Yellow Square. All the major squares are colored; the smaller ones are numbered. You can tell by looking at the base of the fountains. Over there, that one's painted yellow, so we're in Yellow Square. We're a good twenty minute walk from the tavern. It's just off the Orange Square." Shuu suddenly grinned. "That's where I got the idea to wear such a stand out color."

"Very good," Seiji said, still ignoring the content of what Shuu was saying. "What did you see?"

Shuu blinked again, pausing in his oratory, and then suddenly looked very uncertain. He started to look around.

"Look at me," Seiji commanded. Shuu was again taken aback, this time by the tone of the light elf's voice, and did as he was told. Seiji knew that he had an intense gaze, he had been told as much often when he had joined the other four; he hoped it would hold Shuu's gaze. "Again. What did you see?"

"Well," Shuu said slowly. He paused, thinking back, and, Seiji could tell, mentally checking to see if what he saw had been correct. "Old man Shishi was at the fountain with his wife. There was another woman there, she had her laundry. A dog was playing with this little kid that looks like the latest scamp of the Wong family; and some kid was parading around with a staff."

Seiji nodded. That was what he had seen when he had entered the square. He continued to stare as Shuu, gauging him.

"Do you remember what you did to bring your brother home?"

"You mean Yin? Yeah, I used my maho to put him in an air bubble and moved the bubble to the floor of the kitchen."

"Before that?" Seiji pressed.

"I used the earth to find him."

"Use that now and tell me what you see."

Shuu shook his head slightly. "Seiji, what are you trying to get at?"

"Do it," Seiji commanded.

"Gen Ta Sai." Shuu closed his eyes and sent his senses out. Seiji would have none of that.

"Keep your eyes open."

Shuu complied, and continued. "It's everything I had said before. Old man Shishi, the dog and the kid, the woman with her stuff and the kid with the staff."

Seiji nodded and leaned back. Shuu did the same and looked as Seiji. "Was that some kind of test?" he asked.

The Korin elf shook his head. "No. I was making a point. A trick that I have picked up recently is to use my maho as well as my eyes to see. I can see the chi of people more clearly. I presume that Ryo can sense the people's body heat, Shin by the water in their bodies, and Touma can tell if somebody is near by the change in air currents. You can see people through the earth. Ryo said it when we came here, maho can be much more trusted than our eyes."

Things were clicking together in Shuu's head. His gaze was far away as he thought about it. Seiji remembered the comment Ryo had made about him being an empath. That was far from the truth; Seiji had just gotten really, really good at reading his friends.

"Can I tell who is who through this extra sight?" Shuu asked.

"I can; I can only assume that you can too."

Shuu's gaze again drifted away, his mind working through the possibilities. Seiji gave him the time to do so. He had accomplished his first goal, getting Shuu to stop worrying about what he was seeing. While affected deeply, Shuu's troubles were actually easily resolved. The next thing was to try and reassure Shuu that his mind would likely not be controlled again. This was not as simple. Seiji could make no guarantees, no proof that Shuu would not be able to be controlled again. The Korin elf did know that he would have to address that problem, or else Shuu would forever be looking over his shoulder. It was not something Seiji could picture the Lugan doing.

Said Lugan was coming back to reality. His blue eyes looked to Seiji, and he smiled.

"Thanks, Seiji. You've really helped me."

The light elf nodded. "I will be honest; I can make no promises that there will not be further mind control. I do know, however, that mind control has nothing to do with complexity of the mind."

Shuu looked at Seiji.

"The Masho who did that, Rajura, must have maho that allows him to work with the mind. It is how he disguised himself as the captain of that rickety ship that sailed us to Sthiss. It is how he was able to perform some of the illusions that he spoke of. I cannot imagine maho like that being simple."

"Seiji, are you okay?" Shuu asked; concern in his voice.

The blond elf realized that he was shaking slightly. He was thinking about the time he had entered Shuu's mind. To think that Rajura had maho that allowed him regular access to such a frightening experience.

Shuu put a hand on Seiji's shoulder. "Hey, you couldn't have helped it." Seiji turned to him and realized belatedly that Shuu must have been able to read his thoughts. "It's like you trying to control sound. Sure, you can do it, but it doesn't come naturally. You'd probably get very good at it with practice."

Seiji shook his head. "I don't want to get used to it. When I want inside your head, I thought that I would lose all sense of myself, that I would never be myself again. It was petrifying, I almost didn't go back."

"But you did," Shuu said. "That light thing you did, it did a lot more than clear away the illusions. I can't really explain it, but I think better. Does that make sense?"

". . . No," Seiji said. "But I thank you for your kindness."

"Hey, look at it this way," Shuu said. "You saved me from certain depression, learned you had a new ability, and will probably never have to do it again. Or, if you do have to do it again, then I'll be there to support you or; if I'm the one you have to purge or whatever, take comfort in the fact that you've been there before."

Seiji laughed openly. "You have a very cluttered mind."

"Hey," Shuu said easily. "I got a lot of room in there. I gotta do something with it."

They both laughed.

"Now," Seiji said. "How do we get back to your tavern?"

* * *

Naaza shivered, freezing, despite the wool clothes and thick blanket wrapped around him that Anubisu had given him all those months ago. To think that he had thought the spring in Hashiba was frigid. This was far worse. How could anyone feasibly enjoy snow? It was designed to freeze, torture, and induce sudden fits of shuddering. There was nothing joyful about it.

So naturally, as they had proceeded to descend down the last mountain before being free of such an unfriendly climate, was when they had gotten caught in a snow storm. It just wasn't right. Thankfully, they had found a small cave to take shelter in, but now they had to actually travel in the snow. It was fairly deep, so Naaza's stupid horse kept kicking up snow onto his formerly warm pants, which were now getting very damp. Any wind they felt cut through him like a fire-heated knife, wishing to slice his legs off. He was so cold, he was burning.

Fire. Age. Weary. Fire. Warmth.

A sudden warmth raced through Naaza's blood, leaving him slightly cool instead of freezing. He hated it when that happened, and it had been happening more and more. Whenever Naaza was feeling at his worst in this cursed cold, he would suddenly see fire in his mind, feel a blaze a lot older than he was and very tired, and then warm up. If he didn't know better, he'd swear that the cursed disciple Sanada Ryo was doing something to him. When these flashes happened, Naaza checked himself with his own maho, to discover that aside from warming up, he was untouched, which made no sense. If that unknown disciple could actually reach out to him like that blue-skinned freak Badamon could, why didn't he take advantage of it? There was no way that the fire disciple could be as kind to all as the legends said.

But even legends were based on some small basis of fact.

So Naaza was left being confused. And cold.

Fire. Warmth.

"Curse it!" the Doko swore, looking left and right, surprising the others.

"Naaza?" Anubisu asked. "Are you alright?"

"No," he retorted, still looking around. "I just keep sensing something that I shouldn't be." Much as he didn't particularly feel like discussing it, he was going to have to sooner or later. "I want off this mountain as soon as possible."

"What are you sensing?" Rajura asked.

Naaza hissed for a moment before answering. "That cursed unknown. I keep seeing fire and then suddenly warming up in this unnaturally cold snow. I check myself with my maho, but there's nothing altered in me aside from body temperature."

"Why is he not doing more?" Shuten pondered, placing his chin in his hand. "If any enemy has an advantage, why doesn't he use it?"

"Exactly," Naaza grumbled. "And don't tell me the legends are true and that he is nice to everyone. He wouldn't have swords if that were true."

Anubisu barked out a short laugh.

"Just get me to the desert, where he won't have to worry about trying to warm me up."

"You know, now that you mention it," Shuten murmured, his eyes very far away. "I've been feeling a lot of something around the edges of my thoughts. Nothing as defined as you, but something. A sort of connection I wasn't expecting to form if I am dwelling on group dynamics. It's been very subtle. I haven't noticed it until you mentioned it."

"A sort of heat that you reach out to if you want to be needed," Rajura summed up. "A warmth of, almost, companionship or friendship."

"A spark of," Anubisu hesitated, "acceptance."

"Just what the blazes is that disciple trying to do to us?" Naaza roared, echoing off into the snow covered trees. "What does he want? He visits us in our childhoods and helps us, then turns around to be the enemy for us to fight, and now he's trying to get us to connect with him! What the blazes is he after?"

"And why is it we're connecting with him now instead of any other time when he has been in close contact with us?" observed Anubisu.

"That's true," Rajura agreed. "If he could contact us all along, why hasn't he until now? What's changed?"

"Our dynamics," Shuten answered. "Our dynamics have changed drastically since we've started trying to kill those five Kaosu blessed idiots."

Naaza glared at the Kitsune, prodding his horse over to the red head. "How, dynamics-expert?"

"We're," Shuten paused, his brow deep in thought. "We're closer."

Everyone gaped at him.

"Pardon?"

"We're, well, closer is the only real word for it. Rajura is the closest thing to a friend I've ever had. You and Anubisu also seem to be closer together than even at the beginning of this year." Shuten turned to Anubisu, "You and I have been gaining a connection, just as Rajura and Naaza have been. Our loosely fit together team is getting closer and working more as a unit instead of four individuals who have the same goal."

"Don't tell me those sirs were right all along and that the group-unit is Kaosu's dream for our world," Naaza hissed.

"But it would explain Arago-sama's torture back when we were still in Sthiss," murmured Rajura. "Think about it. We were all fighting Badamon. While hardly a well-oiled unit, we did back each other up against him. So when that blue-skinned freak said 'See what I mean,' we got fried."

"Because we were actually working as a group instead of individuals," Anubisu finished.

"So what do we do?" demanded Naaza. "We can't go back to being individuals with the snap of a finger. We obviously can't beat those Troopers as individuals, like we tried to do in Suiss. But the closer we get to being able to beat those Troopers, the closer we get to Kaosu? We're cursed if we do and cursed if we don't!"

"Who says we have to be a team to beat the Troopers?" Anubisu asked.

"Me," Shuten replied.

"What is the basis for this observation?"

"The fact that as a team, the Troopers will back one another up in a battle. They are close friends and will not want to see a friend hurt."

"Yet they did not back each other up in the Kamek's palace," observed Anubisu with a wolfish grin. "They are not as close a team as we think. There might still be a way to do it individually. We'd just have to think about it."

Naaza turned to Anubisu, smiling the first time since entering this frigid country. He really liked the way this elf thought.

* * *

Two days later, Shuu joined Shin and the others outside the tavern for a nice lunch. One look at him told Shin that he had nothing more to worry about as far as the mercenary was concerned. For one, he was showing off.

"Okay, okay," he said. "Let's see. Chun Fa is going to come skipping her way out of the tavern right about. . . Now."

True to form, the nine year old indeed was skipping out of the tavern, right on cue.

"Now her partner in crime Mei Ryu is going to stomp out. Now."

Mei Ryu took his cue and complied.

Shin and Ryo gave polite applause, followed closely by Seiji. Touma was too busy pouring over some kind of diagram. "That's very good," Shin said. "How are you doing that?"

"My maho," Shuu said triumphantly. "Seiji taught me how to sense the different walking patterns of people. Now I can stretch out my maho and tell who is coming or walking by. I even got you guys figured out."

"You do?" Shin asked; munching on his sandwich. Mama and Papa Fuan had offered to cook for them, but Shin, as a guest, refused. He by now had gotten very adept at working in the ever active kitchen and nicking the things he needed.

"Yeah," Shuu said. "Seiji, for example, walks very quietly. I can barely hear him. I think it's an elf thing. You walk pretty quietly, too, but your boots click on the stone. You scuff your feet a lot." Shin blinked, not even aware that he did. "Now Ryo, he walks, well, lightly is the only word I can think of. There's a skip in his step most of the time and he's very purposeful. Touma has the most variety. His walk depends on his mood. Well, all our footfalls depend on is mood, but him especially. When he's sulking, he tends to trudge; when he's happy, he sort of glides in that courtly way; when he's not even thinking about walking, his footfalls are all over the place."

"What about you?" Ryo asked.

"Oh, I just stomp everywhere."

Everyone who was paying attention laughed, Ryo in particular, Shin noticed. His face was much lighter than it had been for quite a while. Shin was glad. The talk Seiji had had with him turned out to be true. Shin resolved that he would try to go to Touma today. Shin and Seiji could not come up with much to help the Hashiban prince, but afterward Shin had the inkling of an idea that would at least get Touma on topic. It was underhanded, and were it not for the fact that Shin could think of nothing else that would work, Shin would do something else.

The first part was to get Touma alone. Shin turned to the prince to ask if they could take a walk together, to discover that Touma was not there.

"Where did he go?" he asked. Seiji and Ryo looked over and also saw that he had disappeared.

"He's off to the Mirror Master's again," Shuu said.

"Oh. Where is that?" Shin asked.

"Green Square part of town," Shuu replied. "Go to the Green Square; take the western road until you find Square 4681. Then take the southern road and it's on your left. Got all that?"

"Yes, but," Shin replied. "How to I know which way is north or south?"

"Oh!" Shuu said. "I keep forgetting you guys haven't lived here. On the corners of buildings that face whatever way, there's a letter saying which way. So when you get to Green Square, look for two buildings with W's on the corner and a road in between them. Get it?"

"Yes, I'll be back before dinner, I hope." Shin got up, reviewed the instructions Shuu had given him, and headed out.

The Green Square, thankfully, was not that far from the Orange, where Shuu's tavern was. He found it and looked around the buildings. On the uppermost floors, true to Shuu's word, there were embellished letters. He found the two W's and went down the road in between them. Shin passed through several more squares before he found 4681. The southern road was the widest of the roads leading into the square, and it was not long after that that Shin found the Mirror Master's.

He stepped inside the stone building to what looked like a small greeting area. A small built girl sat at a desk, writing. Shin waited until she noticed him.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, I was looking for Touma, and I know he's been coming here."

"Touma?"

"Yes. You can hardly miss him. Blue hair?"

"Oh, Hashiba," she said, rolling her eyes slightly. "Fanatic, if you ask me. He's in back with Mirror Master Wong."

"May I see him?" Shin asked.

"Go right a-"

Shin felt a spike of maho, followed immediately by an enormous gust of wind that swept through the office, spilling papers everywhere. The girl shouted several curses, only barely heard over the sound of the wind. Quickly as it appeared, the wind faded, and Shin immediately ran into the back room.

Wong was a small, round man; who was incidentally clutching his heart and gasping for breath. Paper, as in the front room, where flying everywhere. Touma was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, honestly." Shin mentally called out to his Hashiban friend. _Touma!_

_What?_

_Get back to the Mirror Master's! You're giving him a heart attack!_

_. . . Oh._

The sheepish reply caused Shin to grin slightly. He grabbed the papers in the air, making a pile in the crook of his arm as he snatched them. Touma landed somewhere and came running back into the back room.

"I'm sorry!" he said quickly. Looking at the situation, he quickly followed Shin's example and picked up papers, this time from the floor. "I'm sorry," he said again. "She flew in and told me that there were some cracked mirrors that looked like they hadn't been repaired in decades. It would have made things difficult for some of the changes we're planning. I thought I'd have a look."

"She?" Shin asked.

Touma pointed to the lady hawk that had swooped down and landed on his shoulder.

Shin gave a great sigh, straightening his pile of papers and flopped them on Wong's desk. Touma quickly did the same as the hawk shifted to his other shoulder.

"Sorry!" he said again.

Wong somewhere along the way finally got a grip on himself, though his breathing still came in catches.

"Wh-what was that?" he finally managed to wheeze.

"A blessing of Kaosu-sama," Shin said vaguely, waving his hand. He wasn't about to get into the whole story to a complete stranger that wasn't family.

"Ah," Wong replied. Shin was not sure what it meant. "I see. Are there any other blessings I should know about?"

Shin looked dangerously at Touma. "There shouldn't be."

The prince hung his head, nodding.

Turning to Wong, Shin said, "We've obviously made a mess of your office. We'll leave you and your assistant to sort it all out; I feel we'd just get in the way. We will go and check out the newly discovered mirrors and report to you tomorrow. Is that alright?"

Wong looked at Shin, stole a glance at Touma, paled, and then nodded. "Yes. Yes, very good, very good indeed. Take all the time you want. Go on, I don't want to keep you." The round man all but kicked Shin and Touma out of his office.

"I think I've just banned myself from the Mirror Master's," Touma lamented.

"At least for a few days," Shin answered. "Come on, let's see what your lady wanted to show us."

Touma nodded, looking to his hawk. "I think we're ready now, girl. Let's try again." The hawk nodded her head, shifting her weight. With a great flap of her wings, she was off, and Touma invoked his maho and lifted both himself and Shin up into the air.

Shin was uncomfortable with flying. It was very disconcerting to not have the ground under your feet, and there were moments where Shin thought he was going to lose the sandwich he had eaten. Touma knew what he was doing, however, so Shin put his nausea aside and focused on the hawk as she lead them high to the roof of the massive cavern.

"I can see why they wouldn't be repaired," Shin shouted over the wind. "How would you even get up here without maho?"

Touma said nothing but pointed to something off in the distance Shin squinted to see; but it looked like some kind of pulley used at the docks back home. It was ancient looking. Shin could only assume that a rope had once been strung across it and another pulley somewhere and then, through some clever hooks and more pulleys, a master could ride the rope to where he wanted to go.

The flight stopped, the wind died down, and Shin found himself looking at a gigantic mirror. It spread at least two dozen feet below him, wider than the tavern Shuu's family lived in. Huge parts of the mirror were cracked and dirty, smeared in bat droppings and other things Shin didn't dare identify.

Touma examined the mirror, his mind deep in thought and his eyes bright. Shin decided it was as good a time as any. He peeked into Touma's mind and saw more numbers and formulas that Shin could ever comprehend. Swirly eyed, Shin collected himself and made sure his thoughts were very loud, and then dove into part two of his idea.

Shin thought pointedly that Touma would make an excellent king. His mind was keener than anything the monk-sir had seen. Some of the leaps in logic that the prince made were astounding. He had an eye for detail and considered all points when making a decision. Despite Touma's best efforts, there was a charisma about him. People liked him. He had a cynic's sense of humor, often sarcastic and cracking one liners. He was worldly, more so that Shin himself. He had an understanding of the workings of the other countries, and knew what their affects were. Touma would just make a good king.

"It's not about me being a good king," Touma said softly.

Shin quickly exited the mental link, blinked, and looked at Touma. He hoped that would be enough acting for surprise. Then he asked, "Then what?"

Touma paused, running his hand through his blue locks. "I don't care how great a king it, he's bound to make mistakes. My uncle is the best Hashiba no O-sama we've had in a while, and even he makes mistakes. The first was telling the public that he wouldn't even look at a woman, let alone have a child with her. I've seen him when he has to make a hard decision. He loses his appetite, stays up at all hours with his army of advisors. He asks everyone around him what their opinions are, he drives the heads of the archives nuts trying to find if some similar decision was made in the past and what the repercussions were. I don't want that kind of stress."

"Touma," Shin said gently. "You seem to handle the stress a lot better than it sounds like you're uncle does. Look at when you learned your maho."

"That was a learning environment," Touma chided. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a natural in a classroom."

"But still," Shin pressed. "Consider; if you messed up in the slightest, your maho would go out of control, and there would be curses to pay. And," Shin added before Touma could retort. "You did great in Sthiss. If that wasn't a high stress situation I don't know what is."

"There were mistakes there, too," Touma said, "the maho explosion for one."

"Touma, you said it yourself, even great people make mistakes. Some decisions can't be made without some kind of sacrifice. Sometimes monk-sirs are expected to act as an impartial in disputes. We listen to both sides of the story; determine who's lying, and make a decision. I hated doing it because more often than not, both sides had some kind of viable reason. Or, if a person was definitely in the wrong, then they have such mitigating circumstances that you cannot help but feel the need to be lenient. But you can't. If a clear wrong had been determined, then you have to act accordingly. It was very hard."

"And that's exactly what I want to avoid," Touma said heatedly. "I don't want to have to be the bad guy, to be the one that punished someone because I was doing what I thought was the right thing."

Shin gave an exasperated sigh. "You don't mind playing the bad guy with us, do you?"

Touma blinked. "What?"

"If you want or need to get one of use, especially Ryo, to do something, you're not above deliberately goading them into doing it. I can't tell you how many times you've played either reverse psychologist to him, or bored him with so many facts that he does what you want just to get you to close your mouth. You love being the devil's advocate in discussions or debates that we're having. Do we see you as a bad guy? Of course not."

Touma blinked again. "But, you guys know me," he said lamely.

"And who's to say that your people don't know you? How many times have stories of your escapes passed through the people? How many times have you been brought back and people cheer you? I was there. Tied up, mind you, but I was there. They love you. If you make yourself perfectly clear, they'll understand. Really, Touma, you should have more faith in your people."

"Yeah," the prince snorted. "Look at Shuten. He's an exemplary citizen."

Shin rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to bat Touma over the head. A fall from this height would do much more than just kill him.

"You can't judge a group based on the action of one unfortunate and tragedy riddled person."

"Yes, I can," Touma almost shouted. His voice reverberated off the cavern, and Touma continued in a quieter voice. "If what Ryo said at the trial is true, and we already know he doesn't lie, then Shuten is the perfect example. He came from an exemplary family. His ancestors were so loyal to the king that back before Ryo was born, they created the Oni mark so that people going against the throne would feel safe. Look what happened to him! His family was cursed as an Oni, he probably had to watch them get killed, and left to join Arago. Isn't that a great example of how the people will feel if I make a mistake? I don't care how plainly I put it, they'll still hate me. It's a mob mentality."

"Touma! You have to make harsh decisions in life eventually! You can't go through life letting other people telling you what to do, that's hardly living. We all have to make a life changing decision. Look at us. Four of us decided to become followers of Kaosu-sama, four of us decided to become followers of Arago. It's our decisions that are leading us to the endgame that Ryo was talking about when we left the Keep. Ruling a kingdom will be a cakewalk after this!"

There was a long pause. Shin didn't intrude on what Touma was thinking; it was impolite during something like this. He wasn't sure if he had made things better or worse, but at least he had said his piece.

"Do you want to help me clean this?" Touma asked finally. "After that, I can let you down somewhere and then get back to checking out the other disregarded mirrors."

"Of course," Shin said. "Anything you want."

The monk-sir called is maho.


	27. Luga 26

After Shin had left to find the errant Touma, Seiji quietly excused himself. He could be seen in the distance practicing katas. Left to themselves, Shuu and Ryo helped themselves to the remaining sandwiches.

Noticing that this was his chance, Shuu turned to Ryo. "I'm sorry," he said gravely.

Ryo blinked. "About what?"

"I've been something of a horse's rear for the last couple of weeks when you really didn't need the added idiocy."

"Oh, that. I've already forgotten about it," Ryo said piously as he sipped some tea. Shuu face faulted.

"But I was such a piece of guano!"

"Of course you were." Shuu face faulted again, deeper into the stone ground. "Come on," Ryo said. "We can't all react to severe situations perfectly." Ryo buffed his nails on his shirt. A vein pulsed on Shuu's head. "I've been doing that for two thousand years and there are still times when I crack."

"Yeah," Shuu muttered darkly, "This just wasn't one of them."

"Oh, no," Ryo said, surprised that Shuu had even suggested it. "I cracked, but I could pick myself up a lot quicker. You didn't see me when I was trying to get the horses. Even though I was in a different form, I was panicking. Were you guys all right? Had my master taught you enough to handle yourselves? Was I right to leave you alone? I had a million questions racing through my head. Then I stopped, banged my head against the nearest wall, grabbed the horses and ran."

"You're joking about the head banging part, right?" Shuu said after a pause.

"No."

Shuu's impression in the stone deepened. "You didn't really. . .?"

"Yes I did," Ryo answered. "When I get that anxious, you can't get me to stop unless you hit me. My brain freezes in the shock, and then I get the chance to take a deep breath. It's not the most elegant solution, but it works in a pinch. In Sthiss, I was able to remind myself that I couldn't interfere. That's why I went off on my own; I couldn't take part in the fight. It was a fight between the Chosen. I could worry and panic all I wanted, but in the end, I knew it wasn't the endgame, so none of you would be hurt severely. What I didn't count on was the mental damage you all took."

"Ryo?" Shuu asked.

"What?"

"How did you know it wasn't the endgame?"

"Oh," Ryo said. "Well, you weren't on the astral plane, were you?"

"You said that that was just a guess, though."

"It is, but I'm even more convinced of it now. Look at the damage we caused in Sthiss. Its capital city Suiss has been leveled to the ground. Its people are in chaos of the highest degree. The country is in ruins. It will take years to rebuild it. Kayura-san does many things, but she would never want a battle that would cause that much damage to act as the endgame. Besides, you didn't decide which world you wanted yet, right? Plus, the gods didn't make an appearance."

"How can you be so sure of everything?" Shuu asked, digging himself out of the hole he had made.

"Experience, Shuu, experience," Ryo answered theatrically. "When you've been alive as long as I have, you get to notice certain patterns. We all have certain idiosyncrasies, even gods. When my master thinks he needs to intervene, he will always send me in his steed, because gods can't interfere. Arago-baka by contrast will invade dreams and give visions of what he wants done. Kayura-san, I'm not sure what she does. But she can just mention what she wants done and it will happen. My master does things one way, Arago-baka another, and Kayura-san still another. You get to read the patterns after a while. Even I do things a certain way."

"Like always being surprised when we say something stupid?" Shuu asked.

Ryo blinked. "They're hardly stupid. But yes, sometimes I do deliberately act surprised. I think it makes me more approachable."

"It makes you cursed annoying."

Ryo laughed. "Some people would see it that way. You, for example. You always see things for their bright side, even in the most serious situations. You have this ability to shrug off lighter stress situations and laugh at it. It's helped you come this far while the others, like Seiji and Touma, struggled. On the flip side, it makes dealing with harder situations, like the mind control, more difficult because you don't know how to handle it."

Scoffing, Shuu said, "And Touma does better by running away?"

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Seiji's meditations and contemplations have gotten him very far in life, but it can't fix everything. Shin's talking to people has gotten him almost as far as you have in dealing with things. But he can't talk if there's no one to talk to."

"He can talk to us."

"Of course he can," Ryo admonished. "But he doesn't think he can. Not yet. You, Seiji, and Touma have been very closed off lately; and he won't talk to me, because what I represent is part of the problem."

Shuu nodded. "I see." He looked to Ryo. "You've had this conversation before, haven't you?"

"I haven't. Seiji and Shin have. They had a good long talk a few days ago, and they agreed that things couldn't keep up like this much longer. They resolved to try and fix things."

"Well," said Shuu, flexing his muscles. "You can count me in! I'm tanned, I'm rested, and I'm ready to annoy the curses out of this team again! Look out world! Here comes Shuu Rei Fuan!"

"The whole of the earth trembles at the utterance of your very name," Ryo responded.

"Cursed blazing right it should!"

Then Shuu paused.

"Ryo?"

"What?"

"What should I do?"

Ryo took his turn to face fault.

* * *

The next evening, Shuu hunted down where Shin was. It did not take long, as the monk-sir was in the kitchens, snipping what he needed to make dinner from the cooks working for the tavern. The thought of dinner momentarily paused Shuu. Nah, he could wait and so could the others. Quickly, deftly, Shuu slid up to Shin.

"Excuse me," he said to the nearby cooks. Then he grabbed Shin by the wrist, startling him, and hefted him over his broad shoulders.

"Shuu?! What are you doing? Put me down! Shuu! Where are you taking me?" he demanded when he realized that Shuu was leaving the kitchens. "Dinner is going to be late now! Put me down or we'll never eat! Shuu!"

"Much as I like the idea of one of your cooked meals," Shuu said blandly, "there are more important things to take care of."

"Like what? Shuu, people are staring!"

"Of course they are," Shuu said happily, ignoring the stares. "It's not every day they see one full grown man carrying another full grown man who's protesting like a five year old."

Shin made an offended noise. "Alright, put me down. I'll come along quietly."

Shuu obliged, putting the monk-sir back on his feet.

"Now, what's this all the about?"

The native Lugan could only grin. "I'm taking you to the Blue Square. We'll have some privacy there."

"Why?"

To this Shuu remained silent. He continued down the busy evening streets until, true to his word, the pair reached the Blue Square. It was nearly deserted, because the Square marked the Schooling Section. All the children had gone home midafternoon and now, in mid evening, there was almost no one about.

Shin sat down on the edge of the fountain, running his hand through the water.

"Isn't that cold?" Shuu asked. "That's melted snow, you know."

"It is?"

"Yeah, in the winter we use snow to pipe to the fountains so we don't strain the river too much, or something like that. I don't know everything."

"Well, it's fine, to me," Shin replied. "Now," he added, removing his hand from the fountain and staring at Shuu. "What is so important that you dragged me from making supper to. . . to. . . where are we anyway?"

"Blue Square," Shuu said offhandedly. "I didn't want anybody to see me do this."

Shuu promptly landed his fist into Shin's jaw. The monk-sir twisted back, diving into the frigid water of the fountain.

"What the heck was that for?" Shin demanded.

"For thinking you couldn't come to me!" Shuu replied equally as heated.

"Huh?"

Rolling his eyes, Shuu pressed on. "Look, I know I've been a real horse's rear lately, a royal piece of guano, but that didn't mean you couldn't come to me if you needed to talk. I may not have been all that open about my problems, but that didn't mean I wasn't more than willing to help you guys with your own problems! If you weren't gonna talk to anybody, I figured I'd have to force it out of ya." Making his point, Shuu cracked his knuckles. "So, think you can fight all your problems out of you?"

Shin, still in the fountain, could only gape at Shuu at first. The information sunk in slowly, and as he processed it, a small grin spread across Shin's face. He stood up and stepped out of the fountain.

"You know, I didn't even realize until now, but I've been waiting for someone to ask. Cho Ryu Ha." The water sprung forth and formed his yari.

"Gen Ta Sai." The stone underneath Shuu shook slightly, yielding a staff that he took obligingly.

The training session began.

Since the battle in Sthiss' capital, the five of them had been very hesitant to train. The idea of entering battle again, even for fun, seemed tasteless and stupid. But now, Shuu could no longer doubt his eyes, and he of all of them knew the benefits of using training to work off the worst of a person's negative energy. Here, in an empty square in mid evening, any chance passersby would not see the weapons as maho and go off on their merry way. For Shin, Shuu knew, it was a release. The monk-sir's inability to talk to anybody had left him to rein all his emotions inside, causing something of a pit of negativity. The spar would release the worst of it, leaving Shin finally free to express himself properly.

The match lasted a long time. Shin, against the norm, took the offensive--a louder statement of any of how much he needed this, and Shuu found himself hard pressed to keep up with him. The mercenary did have the advantage of a clearer mind, however. Focused as Shin was, some of his moves were clumsy and half thought out. Shuu could see them for what they were and gave Shin the slack when he needed it. It was well after dark when they finally stopped. It was not because either of them were willing to, it was because it had finally gotten too dark to see.

"It’s pitch black," Shin pointed out. "Even the night sky isn't this dark."

"The price you pay for living in a cave," Shuu said blandly. "The torch lighters will be out in a sec, and the light will bounce off all the mirrors and we'll be good again." Shuu rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "Feel better?"

"Much, much better," Shin replied.

"Good. You up to talkin' now?"

"Heh. I guess so." Shuu just barely made out Shin sitting on the fountain as he had earlier; Shuu carefully made his way over and sat near his friend.

"So, what's your problem? The cloth? Your faith?"

"Not that per se," Shin answered. "I think, when it boils right down to it, I'm appalled that such a country can even exist. I'm just really naïve I guess. I always thought that people were genuinely good and that, so long as they followed the will of Kaosu-sama, then good things would happen to them. But since spring I've seen things to the contrary. Touma and his family are good people, but look at them. His father lives in the University of Hashiba and his mother is constantly traveling and working for his uncle. His uncle wants desperately for Touma to be king because he sees how good he can be, but Touma is so scared of the repercussions of even a small mistake that he knows he'll make that he's become famous for running away from the crown.

"Seiji and his family are all good. They follow the will of Kaosu-sama. Heck, they live on the ground where Kaosu-sama took his first steps. But Seiji's honor has come into question because of this quest of ours, and we don't know what will happen to him when he comes home.

"You're as good as they come, and you follow Kayura-sama, who from what I've been learning is benevolent."

Shuu grinned.

"But you became so hurt that you couldn't even talk to us. You doubted your very eyes and senses. You were so petrified of hurting us. The Masho themselves have gone through hardships, too. Shuten was marked as an Oni unfairly. Naaza appears to be a Doko, a half human half Sthissian in a country where both bloods are hated. I can only guess what the other two have gone through.

"Sthiss is the embodiment of. . . I don't even know a word for it. Hypocrites wear the blues and use the power whatever way they can. Sthissians are kicked and downtrodden and almost slaves. Look at Sarenbo, look at Gashura. I see what their lust for power got them. Not happiness. Then, I think, 'I follow Kaosu-sama. I do his will and am rewarded because of it. I should be happy.' But I'm not."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. What Shin said made sense on many levels to Shuu, made him think in ways he had never thought. None of the four of them had entirely good experiences on this quest. Some of them were going home to uncertainty. But. . .

"You forgot something, Shin."

"What?"

"How do I word this?" Shuu pondered, leaning back. "I'm not saying that we aren't having our own fair share of difficulties. But, isn't that part of this quest thingy? We go through hardships and grow as a result of them? We get stronger, learn more, and get stronger again. Then, when we can't get any stronger, we go to that funny endgame thing and be done with it all. Besides," Shuu added, putting his elbows on his knees and holding his chin in his hand. "It's not like this entire quest has been doom and gloom. The five of us met and became great friends. We've made music together and told stories together and laughed together. We learned maho together, and that was a really good time. We spent a week at Auntie Ai's and had a blast. You even healed your mom, then, too. Blazes, we're going through this whole journey together. We can turn to each other when we're down--that's a lesson I had to learn, and we can talk together--that's a lesson I'm trying to teach you. We help each other. We're friends, you know."

Shuu turned to Shin, and though he could not see it in the dark, he somehow knew Shin was smiling.

"God's curse it! What's taking those torch lighters so long?" Shuu demanded, standing up. "I could lead us home no problem, but I'd probably take us through a million walls first."

Shin laughed openly, standing up as well. "You can't use that technique you used on Yin?"

"I probably could, but it's easier to bring someone to me than to try and take me to somewhere. I need a few more years practice before I get comfortable doing that."

"It's just as Ryo said that one time," Shin replied. "We can't use our maho for the mundane tasks until we're really experienced."

"Ah!" Shuu said, spying an orangey light in the distance. "I think the lighters are finally here!"

"Well, good, let's go to them."

The pair set off. As they walked, Shuu's stomach decided to announce that no, it hadn't had any food for several hours, thank you, and was more than a little hungry. "Hey, Shin? Do you think you can get enough scraps together to make a feast? I'm starving!"

Shin only laughed in reply.

* * *

Anubisu took a long swig from his canteen, grateful that the snow in Luga could fill so many canteens of water for their trek in the desert of Yuuki. The air around them was blazes hotter than Sthiss, but at least the air was breathable, unlike the jungle country of snakes. The four of them had restocked in Ka, and were now traveling south along the mountain line so that they could cross the Salt River into the Yagyu Marshes.

The feelings of connection to the fire disciple had not decreased with distance, but it hadn't increased either, so they were counting their blessings. Most of their riding had been silent over the past few days, almost mechanical in nature, but Anubisu kept picking up worries from the others. Nobody mentioned anything. The quiet was starting to unnerve the dark elf. It reminded him too much of growing up alone in the Yami Forest, after his family had died. The silence of the forest in the dead of winter was absolute and they themselves were starting to reach that point. It was not a place that Anubisu wanted to visit, but he wasn't exactly the type to voice observations. Anubisu only entered a conversation if someone else started it. That way, he could observe who was speaking and make conclusions on how or what he should say.

The Yami took a long deep breath of the dry sandy air that surrounded them and took one last drink from his canteen. Anubisu may not be willing to start a conversation, but he wasn't above persuading someone else to. He gave a subtle pulse along the mental link that things were too quiet and some conversation was needed. It was the barest of a suggestion, and his target, Shuten, would probably only think of it as an impulse he had.

"Is anyone else worried about what we're supposed to do when we reach Castle Yagyu?" the Kitsune asked.

It worked. Anubisu hid a smile.

"Oh?" Rajura replied, an eyebrow raised.

Shuten snorted. "Haven't you noticed? Badamon told us that we had to go to Castle Yagyu after some rather interesting punishment from Arago-sama." All three looked at him. "Well, what the curses are we supposed to do when we get there?"

"I'm more concerned about how we're supposed to get there," Rajura replied. "The Salt River isn't exactly easy to ford, and according to the map, we'll have to cross it twice. Also, the marshes aren't exactly safe for horses. One misstep and we could end up drowning."

"I draw apprehension from a different source," Anubisu stated, glad that the nagging worries he'd been feeling were now out in the open. "I wonder who we are supposed to meet at Castle Yagyu."

"You lost me," Shuten replied, turning on his horse.

"The Yagyu Marshes are on our side of the mountains, but don't the inhabitants of Castle Yagyu believe in Kayura? If so, then who there believes in Arago-sama and how are we supposed to meet them?"

"Curse it," Shuten mumbled. "And I thought the Doko thought in odd patterns."

"You're all missing something," Naaza put forward, ignoring Shuten. "How about 'why we were even brought to this side of the mountains?'."

Anubisu, Shuten and Rajura stared at him.

Naaza sighed. "I swear this dry air is sucking out all of your brains." Taking a deep breath, the Sthissian explained what he was talking about. "After all that infernal training that Badamon put us under when we gathered at Arago-sama's Temple we were sent over the mountains for two purposes. Find the Troopers and start destabilizing Kasou's countries. We destabilized the countries and found the Troopers. Unfortunately, those Kaosu-blessed idiots undid our destabilization, but we accomplished the tasks we were supposed to do. So why are we back on this side of the mountains? Why did we fail in trying to kill the Troopers? And why send us to a small outpost that's only on the map because of some famous ancestor from centuries ago? What are we supposed to do when we're done at Castle Yagyu? Go back to the Temple? Or across the mountains? Just what is Badamon planning?"

"I take back what I said," Shuten grumbled. "You still think in the most bizarre circles."

"That makes knowing who we're to meet even more important, doesn't it?" Anubisu observed.

"Well," stated Rajura, "We do have a history expert with us, don't we, Hashiba-University-Honors-Graduate-san?"

Shuten growled. "It's not like I've memorized every book I've ever read," he spat. Taking a deep breath, Anubisu felt the Kitsune reaching back.

"The Yagyus have something to do with Kayura," he finally said. "Give me a minute." The four rode in silence, awaiting Shuten's information. "Ergh. The only fact I remember about the Yagyus is that they're descended from Kenbukyo. They weren't all that major in history so I don't remember much about them."

"Kenbukyo was the first follower of Kayura," Naaza replied. "He's the one who started the religion after the Fifty Year War. The Kaosan texts are filled with his blasphemy." The Doko smirked. "Uppity illegitimates."

"So why the blazes are we going to see a Kayuran?" Rajura demanded.

"It doesn't make any sense," Naaza hissed. "The fight is between us and the Kaosans. Kayurans have nothing to do with it. But we're being sent to one. What is that blue-skinned freak thinking?"

"It has something to do with all three gods," Shuten state slowly. "They have something between them that we're getting involved in. . ."

Naaza ran a hand through his hair, adding, "Arago-sama and Kaosu have never actually have faced each other, not that the sirs know of."

"So they use humans to do the fighting," Rajura stated. "The Fifty Year War. Sanada Ryo and Badamon. We remember seeing that fire freak at some point in our childhoods. We've probably seen Badamon as well."

Anubisu's mind flashed back to when his family had come before the High Elder of the Yami Daasa Laska. The advisor to the withering old elf did have an odd hue to his skin, as well as a long mustache and beard that was almost unheard of in Elvin culture. Given the High Elder's age, it was the advisor who made most of the decisions. That meant it might have been Badamon who sentenced his family to certain death. But there was no way to be sure. The disciple of Arago could not change shape, nor could any amount of makeup hide that blue skin. While Anubisu had very little trust, that did not mean he automatically believed the worst of people.

"So if we're fighting for the gods, what's Kayura's part in all this?" Naaza asked.

"If the fight is between Arago-sama and Kaosu-dono," Anubisu murmured, "then Kayura-dono must be some sort of deciding factor. Look at the gods. Even those fighting for them. Like it or not, we're evenly matched. Kayura-dono must be some sort of deciding factor."

"Which means that Kayura will chose who wins," Rajura summed up.

"Curse it," Shuten swore. "Then that means that if we're meeting a follower of Kayura, we're going to have to be polite and endearing to him. We don't want the Troopers to get Kayura's follower's choice."

"Something is still missing," Naaza interjected. "That Lugan is a Lugan. He follows Kayura. Yet he's working for Kaosu. Doesn't that bias Kayura in Kaosu's favor?"

"Trust me," Rajura growled, "a mercenary doesn't follow any god."

"We don't know that for sure," Naaza retorted, though there wasn't much bite in his words.

"But look at us," Shuten replied. "I'm from Hashiba. You're from Sthiss. Rajura's from Yang Shi. The three of us should be Kaosan, but we're not. Only Anubisu would have followed Arago-sama originally."

"But we don't have anyone who's supposed to be under Kayura," pointed out Naaza. "Does that matter? Is it supposed to matter? If so, we're fighting a losing battle."

"The point I'm making is that it doesn't matter who we followed as children, we follow different gods now," Shuten replied.

"Besides," Rajura answered, "When I was following them on their way to Tou Hashiba, I overheard that the Lugan traveled a lot as a kid. After all, he knew that sir as a child, so while he may have supposed to be Kayuran, he might have been raised Kaosan."

"Something still doesn't feel right," Anubisu murmured.

"Unfortunately," Shuten replied, "we don't have enough information. Perhaps the Kayuran at Castle Yagyu can help us. But we can't say anything for certain until we know more."

Anubisu was hardly consoled.

* * *

When Touma finally woke up, he found himself sitting at the table they had claimed as their own during their stay at Shuu's parents' tavern. Shin and Ryo were there, finishing up whatever Shin had prepared, and, staring down at his plate, he had discovered that he was finishing up too.

"'Morning," he yawned.

"'Afternoon," Shin corrected.

Touma blinked, then looked out the nearest glassless window. Indeed, the dim lighting outside showed that it was, in fact, afternoon. "Oh, well, 'afternoon."

Ryo laughed. "At least you slept well. Seiji's mad at you though. You may want to avoid him for a while."

The prince found himself blinking again. "Why?" he asked.

Shin rolled his eyes. "You woke him up at three in the morning to guide you in for a safe landing. He wasn't very appreciative."

"Oh. But how WAS I supposed to land with no light? Some of the moonlight filters in at the roof of the cavern, so I can work, but it fades away as soon as you're twenty feet down. All the candles and torches were long since out, and it was pitch black."

"Seiji figured you'd say something like that," Ryo said, smiling away. "He said, and I quote, 'Come in earlier then.' End quote. Well, that's not the end of the quote, but it's all I'll repeat."

Touma hung his head. "Is everything I do wrong?" he wondered woefully.

"Oh, no," Shin said lightly, having gotten up at some time to refill his cup with tea. "It's just that when you're this absorbed in a project, we're all beginning to discover that you get a little obsessive. You seem to forget that not everyone thinks or acts like you."

". . . Oh." Yet more food for thought in the growing pile that Touma was collecting. He kicked it aside in favor of his mirror project. "Anyway, I've just about finished the calculations. I could use a favor from you guys, though."

"Oh?" Shin and Ryo asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, part of making the lighting in here better is to widen the hole used to let in the light in the first place. I'm not expecting you to widen the hole," he added quickly at the pairs shocked faces. "But the widening will loosen up a lot of snow. I've been talking to the people who go outside regularly, and they say there's a good six feet of snow right now, as high as ten on the caps of the mountains, and I don't want to cause an avalanche. So I was thinking if you two could do something about it."

". . . Like what?" Ryo asked.

Touma blinked a third time. "I thought at least you'd know," Touma said. "You're a University Graduate."

The Kaosan disciple shook his head blankly.

"Okay, I want you," he said, pointing to Ryo, "to cause a few remote and strategic snow slides; and you," he said, pointing to Shin, "to make the snow ice over in other strategic places so that we won't be buried under so much snow that we'll need to thaw out."

"I can make ice?" Shin asked; his eyes wide.

"Probably not easily," Ryo said, mulling the request over in his head. "Yami Anubisu, he has winter maho, and that would make this kind of thing easier. I suppose you could, though."

"But how?"

Touma took over at Ryo's uncertain look. "Different chemicals can be used in different forms. Water--"

"Isn't a chemical," Shin said.

Touma sighed. "Humor me and pretend that it is. Anyway, water is the easiest chemical that can be manufactured into all three forms. Those forms are gas, liquid, and solid. The change in form is brought about by temperature. For example, boiling water evaporates into steam, the gas form. Water at room temperature is a liquid, and ice is really, really cold water. The snow on the mountains right now is in between being liquid and solid, and I'm asking you to make it solid."

Shin was more than a little swirly eyed, and it took him a moment to absorb the information. "Well, I'll give it a try." He closed his eyes. "Cho Ryu Ha."

"So En Zan," Ryo said immediately afterward.

Touma waited as the two did their work, finishing the last of his, er, brunch, and downing the last of his tea. He wonder briefly is he should start thinking about that pile of thoughts he had been accumulating. No, he decided. Later today, after he'd made his first steps into altering the mirrors. He knew who he would ask too.

"Okay," Ryo said, finally. "I've melted enough to make a few controlled snow falls. That should take place during the next hour."

"Phew!" Shin came back. "It was really hard, but I was able to do it. Touma, does this mean I can control snow?"

"Probably about the same way Seiji can control sound," the prince theorized. "A few things here and there, but none of it will come easy."

"Just another in the list of possibilities," Shin said. "I need to get going. Mama Fuan and Rinfi asked if I could get some extra food. They're planning a big feast for the whole family and us."

"They are?" Touma exclaimed, shocked.

"Yes, they are," Shin said; a teasing grin on his face. "If you ever stayed around long enough, you'd know it too."

Touma made a face at Shin. "I gotta get going anyway. I need to track down Shuu and Seiji."

"Good luck finding Seiji," Ryo offered. "I'd try down by the river for Shuu."

"The river? Why?"

"Oh, a little project of his own," Ryo said mysteriously. "I'm off to keep the kids, Mei Ryu and Chun Fa, busy."

Touma nodded as he left the tavern, making his way to the river. It had been two weeks since they came to stay here at. . . what was the name of this town anyway? Touma had never asked. Well, moving on, the blue haired prince had little trouble finding the river. He had spent so much time above the city staring down at it through the mirrors and such that he knew his way around better than anyone but Shuu. Reaching the banks, he looked around for any traces of orange. The bright color caught his eye, across the river, and Touma invoked his maho just long enough to float over. Any excuse to fly, you understand.

"Hey!" he called out.

Shuu looked up. "Hey!" he called back. "You need something?"

"Yeah, kind of." Touma looked down to see that Shuu had been staring intently at a mound of dirt. "What are you doing? Some kind of training?"

"A side project of yours," Shuu said. "I figured that if you're going to get things really bright here, there might be enough light to make some plants grow. Nothing major, but enough so's we don't have to rely so desperately on places like Lilimundralle or Yang Shi or even Hashiba. Their prices are outrageous."

"Wow. I'd heard that farming land in these mountains are pretty scarce, but. . ."

"Not as scarce as we'd like you to believe. In all honesty, we probably make the best seasonal foods around, but we're so busy distributing it to us that there's nothing left to trade with. And it's hardly that plentiful if we're going to have a hard winter. So I figured after we leave, everybody up at the capital, Gullog, will want to see what you've done to make things so bright. Can't give you all the glory, so I figured I'd try to make some small vegetable gardens and see how they do."

"But you'd have to tend to them for weeks before they showed anything," Touma commented.

"Not really. I've been having a good long talk with some of my ancestors."

Touma cocked his head to the side.

"It's part of that non-human, Kongo part of me. If I reach hard enough, I can talk to some of my ancestors, and they give me advice. That's how I figured out I had some control over wood. If I have control over wood, then I might have some control over plants. I was just talking now to one of my great-great-great however many Oyajii-san's to see how fast I could make seed grow."

Touma's mind whirled. "How long have you been doing this?"

"I been thinking about it since you started talking about making things brighter. About four days ago I started experimenting."

"And I didn't know this??"

"Of course not," Shuu said good naturedly. "You've been busy with stuff on our own plate."

Just how much DIDN'T Touma know? Hanging his head in defeat, Touma got to the point of his coming over here. "Listen. I'm going to start making the changes today. I've got all the math figured out, now all that's left if to adjust everything accordingly. One of the changes is to widen the hole that let's in the light to a radius of ten feet, not seven. I obviously can't do that on my own."

Shuu nodded. "I'll be glad to, but I don't want to cause an avalanche in mid-winter like this."

"Already taken care of," Touma answered. "I talked with Shin and Ryo before I came here and they've set everything up."

"You work fast," Shuu said. "Okay, here I go. Gen Ta Sai." Touma looked up to the stream of light, looking for signs of Shuu's work. It was not long before there was a rumbling echo bouncing off the walls of the cavern; and very slowly, the stream of light widened as it was supposed to.

"Excellent," Touma said, a grin spreading over his face as excitement began to kick in. "Excellent. Do you know where Seiji is? I need him for the next step."

"He's avoiding you man," Shuu said. "You really ticked him off last night."

"Then I'll go apologize and then ask for his help."

Shuu laughed. "There's no stopping you! Alright, I heard him saying that he was going to see how the horses were, maybe practice some katas in the quiet. Like there's anything else he does anymore."

Touma was tempted to question what he meant, but didn't want to appear even more stupid than he was feeling. Muttering his phrase, he lifted himself up and flew toward the stables. True to Shuu's word, Seiji was there, in the middle of a complex looking kata.

"Seiji?"

No answer. He was obviously deep in the kata. Should he wait until the Korin had finished? Who knew how long this particular kata took? Touma didn't recognize the stances; he had no way of knowing how close to finishing Seiji was or wasn't. He really wanted to get Seiji up in the air and helping him with the mirrors, but at the same time didn't want to tick the elf off any more than he already was. So what to do?

"Seiji, I hate to interrupt, but I really need to ask a favor. Seiji?"

Still no answer.

"Oh, come on, this is getting frustrating. I need your help in making the adjustment to the mirrors. I won't get the angle's right unless you can make a laser for me to measure the angles. I have everything I need accept you. Seiji? Seiji! Curse it, don't ignore me! I'm sorry alright? I am S-O-R-R-Y!"

"There is no need to shout," Seiji replied coolly, coming out of his kata. He took a deep breath and bowed. "You will not, I repeat, NOT wake me up at odd hours of the night just for me to be a beacon. If you are going to be out so late, then you can easily ask the family to leave a lantern on and therefore not have to bother anyone when you decide to come back."

Touma blinked, then felt like a heel. Seiji had a point. Touma had been so obsessed with math and maho and making the cavern brighter and using his maho to do it that he had forgotten that there were plenty of conventional methods that everyone else used to get things done. Like lanterns or ropes and pulleys. Heck, the entire mirror project was a conventional method of lighting a cavern.

"I really am sorry."

Seiji looked at him sizing him up. "So long as you are sorry, I will forgive you. Let's go."

Touma smiled sheepishly. "Shin Ku Ha." He lifted himself and Seiji into the air and shot towards his first target. Reaching the mirror, he glided to a stop and looked around. Finding the suspended rope, Touma pulled out his rough shot support and hooked it onto the rope. Testing it, he offered the seat to Seiji, who took it gratefully. Touma noticed he looked a little paler than he usually did. "Did I go too fast?"

"A little. I will be fine so long as I don't look down." Seiji did grip the harness like his life depended on it, though. "What do you wish me to do?"

"Do you know what a laser is?" Touma asked.

"No."

"It's a recent discovery. White light is a combination of all colors of the spectrum. Because each color has its own wavelength, the inclusion of all of them makes white light very jumbled and it jumps all over the place. A laser is only one color of the spectrum. With only one wavelength, it can bounce off the mirrors the way that they are supposed to. In other words, they are a more accurate way of measuring the angles and the changes I want to make. I want you to make a laser right where the hole is. It will bounce off the podium mirror globe in the center of town and then I can measure the angle at which it hits this mirror, adjust it accordingly, move onto the next mirror and so forth."

Seiji nodded, the information clicking very fast in his mind. "There are a lot of mirrors here," he said slowly.

"Over a hundred," Touma said, pulling out his diagram as he floated beside the secured Seiji. "This might take a couple of days."

Seiji nodded, "Then let us begin. Rai Ko Zan." Almost immediately, there was a small red dot at the center of the mirror they were suspended next to. Touma studied it, but found he could not see the trail of light, like he had thought. Mulling it over, Touma changed the air currents lightly, adding and bending here and there. The red line of light finally became visible. Touma took out his protractor and measured the angle, checking it with a diagram he had brought with all his changes.

"Not bad, only half a degree. Shin Ku Ha." Easily, Touma lifted the mirror from its supports and floated behind it. The mirrors were attached by ancient looking locks. Touma figured out the mechanism easily, adjusted the mirror, and set it back into place.

"One down," he said brightly.

"Indeed," Seiji replied weakly.

They moved on from mirror to mirror. Touma admired whoever had set up the mirrors back in the day. After the twentieth mirror, though, Touma saw that Seiji was really beginning to look sick. Heights did not seem to agree with the pale Korin elf as well as they did the Tenkuu prince. "Do you want to take a break?"

"Yes," Seiji said fervently.

"Shin Ku Ha." Touma lifted Seiji slightly and undid the harness, floating the two of them down to the ground quickly. Seiji landed gratefully and immediately sat down, as though the height he was at even standing was still too high. Touma sat down by him, thinking.

A lot had been filtering through his head after he had talked with Shin, or rather, Shin had yelled at him. The monk-sir had brought up some very valid points, some of them Touma was not ready to face just yet. But there was one thing he wanted to know.

"Seiji?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever had to make a hard decision? I mean a really hard decision?"

"Yes."

"What was it?"

"Choosing you to be emissary to."

Touma face faulted. "Huh? I thought you told me back when we met that it was a requirement, part of the training to become an Elder and a great honor."

"It is," Seiji answered. "But yours is not the only family that we advise. The candidates are given a list and we choose who we are to be emissaries to. Your family is the only one that will always have an emissary."

Touma absorbed the information. "I see. So it was hard to choose between the available families?"

There was a very long pause, so long that Touma was not sure Seiji would even answer. Had he asked too personal a question?

"I am. . . not good with people," Seiji said, very slowly.

"Not good how?" Touma asked, not sure what Seiji had meant.

"I cannot stand lies and deceit. Despite my grandfather's personal training, I still cannot imply something. I must say it directly. My words have gotten me into a lot of trouble."

"Especially in a culture where everything is implied and nothing is stated."

Seiji nodded. "Yes, indeed. To compensate, I do not say anything unless I feel it is absolutely necessary. At least until recently."

"Oh, I don't know," Touma said. "I think you still talk only when it's necessary; except now your definition of necessary had broadened a little."

"We are getting off topic," Seiji said. His eyes were locked on the ground in front of him, his hands interlaced with his crossed feet. Touma leaned forward, deciding to keep his mouth shut. This was important, and obviously very hard to Seiji to talk about. He gave him space.

"I am. . . was. . . the favored candidate of my grandfather and the subject of a slight controversy by the others. My grandfather is the high elder, his opinion is very respected, but the others could not help but question if such a blunt mouthed boy such as myself was worthy of such a high position. Yet I was the fastest learner of meditation and mental exercises and katas. Yet I would get into more trouble than any other candidate. Thoughts of me and my ability went back and forth. So when the time came for the candidates to choose a family to advise; they looked at me with utmost curiosity. As the grandchildren of the High Elder, my sister Yayoi and I had first pick among the families.

"Everyone wondered who I would pick. What would be my basis for choosing a family? Would I follow tradition and choose a family that was honorable and wise, needing only slight guidance, or would I pick a family riddled with dishonor and try to force them to follow my instructions? What would a contradiction in terms such as I choose?"

There was another pause, and Touma felt a very large pang of empathy towards Seiji. In Tou Hashiba, everyone watched the prince to see what he would do or choose, or just run away again. All eyes were on him at all times, analyzing any and all decisions he made and debating whether it was a decision worthy of a king. And he was going to be sentenced to a lifetime of such scrutiny? Touma snorted in spite of himself.

"In the end, now that I look back, I did the very thing I think they were expecting of me."

"What was that?" Touma asked.

"I ignored them."

"I don't understand."

"I was very worried, and very uptight. This was an important choice to make, one not to be entered into lightly. I knew that there would be criticism no matter what choice I made, so I ignored them. I looked at the families and choose yours. When I announced my decision, everyone was up in arms. Surely, the Hashiba family had deserved a much worthier candidate that such a blunt mouthed and trouble making elf like myself."

"I'm not sure if I can ask," Touma said slowly. "But why did you pick the royal family?"

"I knew that when I reported to your uncle, I would most likely be assigned to you; and I knew then that, as you were, you would not make a good king."

Touma face faulted again. "What's that supposed to mean?" Everyone always said he would make a great king because of his mind and his knowledge and his caring for his people. To hear Seiji of all people tell him that he would not make a good king somehow made the prince feel offended.

"You have a great mind, Touma-sama," Seiji said, entering a very formal form of speech. Touma winced at the "sama". "Your intelligence is beyond compare; but there are times when you can be incredibly stupid. For all your love of your people and fear of what they will think, you do not listen to much more than your own problems. You did not realize that your uncle was worried sick about you whenever you ran away. When Shuu made the earth dragon at Kaosu's Keep and was injured, you had no concept of his pain, Ryo's panic, or Shin's worry. On the way here, I doubt you saw just how deeply we were separating from each other, or how hurt Ryo was by our separation, so absorbed were you in your own worries and pains. Did you know that Shuu is planning to plant a garden after you have brightened this cavern? Or that his family is planning a welcome home party? Or that Ryo has been a constant source of entertainment to the children here? Or that Shin has taken to giving the cooks some advice in cooking and organizing the kitchen?"

Touma's head sunk lower and lower with each stab Seiji made at the prince's ego. He had missed, and missed a lot, all because of his cursed need to run away from things he didn't like. Even now, he was fighting back a very strong urge to interrupt and go back to the mirror project. He resisted because he knew that he needed to hear this. He wondered, absently, if his being born into a royal family and with his every wish granted made him so resistant to unpleasantness. No, that was not true. Touma remembered what made him want to run away.

Right after his parents separated, a nobleman had lead Touma out into the city, only to show him the slums. The nobleman explained that this was the price paid for being king; that people such as the homeless and hungry would suffer. Touma had been so upset that he ran away from the nobleman, away from the castle. That had been his first time in running away. The image of those slums stuck in his mind with such force that, as he grew older and learned what it was a ruler did, what kind of decisions they made and how they affected the people, that Touma had become petrified of the crown.

Something clicked suddenly in Touma's mind as he remembered that night in the slums. The nobleman had had blue tinged skin. Badamon?

"Touma?"

"Oh. Yeah, sorry. My head went onto a long train of thought. I'm sorry. Go on."

Seiji resumed. "I knew that you would not be a good king. I would show you, through example if necessary, two things; detachment to your people and consideration for them."

"Uh, isn't that a contradiction in terms?"

"It sounds like it, but it is not. You worry about hard decisions; that is why you asked me if I had ever made any. The key is to not concern yourself with what the people with think of your decision. As with me when I had to choose a family, there will always be someone who will think your decision was the wrong one. In a country as large and as versatile as Hashiba, everyone has their own opinion and ideas as to what king should do. You cannot worry about what the people will think about your decisions. But, when you make your decisions, you must be aware of your people's problems.

"When you are making a decision, always wonder how it will affect the people and their problems. If one decision will make more people hungry, but the other will cost twice as much to implement, then choose the one that will cost more. Then tell the people that. If that does not satisfy them, do not bother trying to justify yourself. You will spend the rest of your life trying to justify your actions if you do."

"You sound like you speak from experience."

"I do. Another reason why I used to be so quiet."

Touma nodded. "But that has nothing to do with why you've been quiet now, right?"

Seiji blinked, straightening. "What do you mean?"

Touma smiled sheepishly. "I'm the first to admit that I'm a little slow to pick up on people's emotional states, but I HAVE noticed a few things. For one, you've been doing nothing but katas lately." Touma wasn't about to say that it was Shuu that had told him that. It would spurn another lecture and the prince wasn't ready for it yet.

The Korin elf looked away, embarrassed. "I need advice on something. I have been trying to reach my grandfather threw this mental communication that the five of us have, but I have had no success. Either it does not work over distances, or Grandfather simply is not receptive to it."

"It's probably the latter," Touma said after a moment's thought. "Ryo said this mental link thing worked over distances. The Masho must have it too; it's how they've been coordinating everything regarding us. I'm willing to bet it's how they were able to spread those stupid rumors about us over the span of a few weeks over the summer. Geez, that was six months ago. It feels like years."

Seiji's ears twitched slightly.

"Do you want to ask me?" Touma offered. "I'm hardly an expert on elfin culture, and you're the one who's supposed to be advising me, but I've been told by one or two people that I have a good brain in my head."

Seiji gave the faintest of smiles. "It is about one of the Masho."

"The Yami, I assume."

"Yami Anubisu, yes." There was another long pause as Seiji pieced his words together carefully. "I have been taught, drilled, that the Yami are spawn; moon worshiping devils with no honor, rough speech, and bloodthirsty savages. Yami Anubisu hardly fit that profile when I met him."

"Obviously," Touma said in a light voice. "You're still alive."

Seiji glared at him; then realized it was meant to be funny. "Yami Anubisu introduced himself properly, and told me what his maho was. Winter; the cold, the snow, the darkness. It was a proper Korin introduction. There was a moment, he had just landed a very hard hit, and I was struggling to get up. It was the perfect opportunity to kill me, or inflict more damage, or whatever he wanted and yet; he did nothing. He waited until I was back on my feet. In fact even then, he did not strike."

"In other words, he was very honorable towards you."

"Yes."

"And that goes against everything you've been taught about Yami elves."

"Yes."

"Well, why not?" Touma said, leaning back. "If I can learn that being a king isn't clear cut, if Shin can learn that not all Kaosan monk-sirs are good and treat people well, then I guess you can learn that not all Yami are like what you've learned. It seems to be a theme in this little quest of ours, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps," Seiji said slowly.

"Hey," Touma said, "If you can overload my brain with advice, I figure I can to the same. Think of it this way. Ryo said that Yami and Korin used to be the same back before the Fifty Year War. If they were the same, they had the same culture, then who's to say that that culture didn't stay? Especially since elves are an isolated people by nature, there would be no outside influences. So if, back in Ryo's day, elves were all about honor, then it's a logical jump to say that today, elves are all about honor, regardless of what side of these mountains they live on. I don't know any Yami elves, I wasn't stupid enough to run away to the Salt Desert or the Yami Forest, but I'm willing to bet that most Korin haven't met any Yami and vice versa. Your opinions are probably shaped over years of stretching stories and whatever chance encounters a Korin and a Yami have with each other. The hate is mutual on both sides, so said encounter probably went sour, and then they went back to Daasa Laska and told everybody what they perceived, not what happened. Then things just snowballed."

"It is a lot to absorb," Seiji said slowly. "I must rethink hundreds of years of stereotyping and then try to resist those stereotypes when next I meet Yami Anubisu."

"We are divided into neatly matched pairs, aren't we?" Touma asked. "A prince and a crown hating Hashiban, a monk-sir and an abused Sthissian, a Yami and a Korin, a mercenary and. . . why would the Gen have it in for Shuu?"

Seiji blinked. "I do not know. I do not think Shuu knows either."

Touma groaned in frustration. "My pile of 'things to think about' keeps growing. I'm going to have a headache when this is all over."

Seiji allowed himself to smile. "I very much doubt that. Let us see how many more mirrors you can adjust." The Korin stood, Touma quickly following suit.

"No complaints here."

"Oh, and Touma?"

"Yeah?"

"Fly slowly."


	28. Luga 27

Ryo sat down to their table at breakfast and was shocked to see everyone there, even Touma. Blinking, he helped himself to the fried hash browns and eggs. To further shock his system, they were talking heatedly. Together. As a unit. The Kaosan disciple thought he would cry.

"So," Touma was saying. There were circles under his eyes, and indication that he had not slept at all--hence his presence at the table. "We're all evenly matched. I, the next king of Hashiba, face off against a formerly exemplary citizen who now hates the crown more than anything. Shin, a pious and devout follower of the blues, is given a Sthissian half-breed with less love for Kaosu and the cloth than the entire country put together. Seiji, a Korin, is going against a Yami, I don't really need to say more. Shuu, a highly reputed and successful mercenary, however, has to fight a Gen illusionist. Where's the enmity, sorry Ryo, enmity there?"

"Well," Shuu said, mulling the problem over in his head. "The Gen are centered more or less in Yang Shi. Have anybody except Ryo been to Yang Shi?"

The three shook their heads.

"Well, if you've met any Yang Shians, you should know that they're not the most. . . polite people on this side of the mountains. The people live in massive cities, and hate the idea of outsiders. The cowboy seasons can get really downright ornery, and it's not uncommon for the city to hire out mercenaries to keep things under control. You can imagine how Gen, nomads with no solid roots, are viewed. I don't doubt in the slightest that he might have had a run in with some overzealous merc."

Ryo debated mentally. He knew the Masho better than his four did, but was it his place to divulge some very dreadful and private pains? Shuu was very close to the truth about Rajura, and some of the things Shin was imagining must have happened to Naaza were also very close. Should he leave it at that? Or explain what the other four chosen had gone through?

"It's better that we know," Seiji said, having read his mind. "If nothing else, it will help us understand why they have chosen the path that they have, and give us insights in how to handle them when next we meet. I know I need as much information as I can."

Ryo sighed. "Some of what happened to the Masho is very personal. They don't even know among themselves everything that happened."

"Tell us what you feel comfortable with," Shin said. "We won't press." He threw a look to Touma, but the prince nodded, his face serious.

"Well, Shuten is the most open about his problems. It helps him deal with it a lot better. When he was a child, his mother fell ill, and the government couldn't get the relief to her fast enough. Shuten's father took matters into his own hands and, instead of directly handing over any money he earned and waiting for his return cash flow, he kept the money and spent it to care for his wife. He was discovered, and the Oni mark was placed on him. Shuten watched his father be arrested and only barely escaped over the Lugan mountains.

"Naaza is the second most open. His mother was raped by a sir--sorry Shin," Ryo quickly added at the horrified expression. "She was very bitter about the whole experience, and didn't mind rubbing it off onto her Doko son. She tried to be a mother, but part of her couldn't put to rest that night, and her half human son was a constant reminder of it."

"How cruel," Shin said.

"The pair of them joined one of the factions, and when Naaza was a little older, she was killed in a failed revolt. He was never trusted to begin with because of his half blood, and he grew up on the streets after that before he could join another faction.

"Shuu, you were very close to the truth. Rajura watched his entire family be hung by a lynch mob, and a few years after that lost his eye to a mercenary."

"Gods curse it; that must be tough." Shuu all but gulped down his drink. "Do you know who did it? I can have him ratted out."

Ryo shook his head. "I doubt that would do any good even if I did tell you; and I won't."

"Fair enough," Shuu replied, leaning back and thinking.

"And Yami Anubisu?" Seiji asked.

"He's probably the most private," Ryo said. "I'm not sure how much I should say." He paused, running Anubisu's life through his head. "I'll say that his family was wrongfully - well, wrongfully to a human - dishonored and banished from Daasa Laska. There was a very hard winter that year; and his family sort of, wasted away."

Silence fell upon the table, and Ryo wondered if he had undone all of the progress the four of them had made since the beginning of their stay with the Fuans. Each of them had taken a lot of information in a short span of time, shorter than even while they were at his master's Keep. There was also the consideration that the new information was much more personal; dealing with themselves and the members on the other team. It was a lot to absorb, and Ryo knew from personal experience that too much information too close to home could be damaging.

"It does give a new perspective to the Masho," Seiji said slowly, his face deep in thought.

"Why did they have such hard lives?" Shin asked. "We all had strong family background and loving homes. We didn't lose anyone close to us. Why were we blessed and the others cursed?"

"That depends on how you look at it," Touma interjected, dishing out another serving of eggs. "Certainly, we've had the fatter slice of the pie, but we also came into the game very naïve as a result. You didn't know anything about Sthiss, I didn't know anything about the Oni mark, Seiji didn't know how far off his perceptions were about dark elves, and Shuu was left unprepared for the kind of subtle trickery that seems to be at work here."

"But they've suffered!" Shin protested.

Touma nodded. "So have we. We've had to drag ourselves back together over the last couple of weeks because we've suffered. I doubt the Masho had nearly as many sleepless nights while they're off to whatever trap they're next setting for us."

Ryo decided not to comment on that.

"Kayura-sama has this all planned out, doesn't she?" Shuu speculated. "She divided us all even, five on five; four on four, however you look at it. And we're all going through a bunch of stuff to prep us for this endgame thing. She probably even knows when it's going to happen."

"Ryo?" Shin suddenly asked. "Why are the priests at Sthiss all a bunch of hypocritical sirs? Why did Kaosu-sama allow that?"

Ryo groaned. "This goes even a little above my head," he answered. "See, Kayura-sama isn't the only player here at work. She's just the game master. She set the rules when Arago-baka challenged my master, adding a few here and there as she went, and then left the rest to the two players. My master and Arago-baka did a lot of things, some of them great, some of them horrible. It was Arago-baka who placed the first Kamek of Sthiss on the throne and led all the sirs to the Jungle. My master was the one who isolated the elves to the forests. They are the reason why the Kongo, Suiko, Tenkuu, and Gen, are all extinct except for a few," Ryo's eyes circled the table, "survivors. They are the reason why Yang Shi invaded Lilimundralle, or Hashiba set up the Roanoke outpost, heck why the Fifty Year War came about. It all has to do with a big scheme that they and probably Kayura-sama can see, but is well above my head."

"And once again we are reminded of the scale of this whole affair," Touma summarized, taking a long gulp of his tea. "Makes a prince feel awful small."

"Indeed," Seiji agreed.

There was another long pause, the five lost in all their thoughts.

"Alright!" Shuu said. "This has gone far enough! It's just too depressing to sit around and talk about heavy stuff like this!" He slammed his fist on the table, startling Ryo, the others, and a few patrons. "Come on, we're having a party tonight, let's think about that and laugh it up a little. Shin, do you know what's being served?"

The monk-sir blinked. "Your parents' best dishes?"

"Yeah! Some good old fashioned home cooking! I'll eat them out of house and home this time."

Ryo laughed. "That's if Touma doesn't beat you to it. He's taking your share of hash browns."

"What? Touma!" Shuu slammed his chopsticks through the food in question, pinning it to the table."

"What?" the prince demanded, a wide grin on his face. "You weren't eating it, and I haven't had anything since yesterday."

"That's your own fault for skipping dinner to finish the mirrors!"

"Yes, and now that it's so bright out, I think I've earned a little extra."

"You little!"

Shuu and Touma battled over the hash brown, completely unaware that Shin, a quiet smirk on his face, had taken it in the interim and was sharing it with Seiji. Ryo laughed outright. Shuu was correct, there was no more need for depressing thoughts. His friends were back. Ryo reveled in that one fact. The rest, he would leave to his master.

* * *

The five of them spent the day together, sparing and showing off to the children. They had gathered quite a crowd as the day progressed, word of five ridiculously skilled warriors training in back of the Fuans traveling fast. They did not use their maho as they did not want to scare anybody off. Many of the residents wanted to try their luck against one of the five, and quickly learned that they were a league of their own. By the time Shin had downed his fifth challenger and Touma his sixth, the crowd satiated themselves to just watching. It was fun. They broke for a light lunch and then Shuu showed them around town. The native Lugan pointed out historical buildings and points of interest, shocking his friends with his acute knowledge of history and odd facts.

"I love history," Shuu said. "Especially war history. I read up on all sorts of strategies that were employed in the Fifty Year War and others, studied their layouts and executions. It's one of the reasons I'm so good at what I do. I bothered to see how it was done back in the day."

"One of these days," Touma said, "I'm going to remember that you're not a rock brained oaf."

"Hey!"

"Just commenting," Touma said playfully. He took off running with Shuu close behind.

"Those two are turning out to be quite a dangerous pair," Shin observed.

"It is a wonder they haven't leveled half the city," Seiji agreed. Ryo smiled.

Shuu finally caught the wayward prince and riddled him in a choke hold. Touma sputtered and huffed, but could not get the mercenary off him. Choking out his maho, he lifted Shuu into the air and flipped him over his head.

"I thought I was going to die!"

"See what happens when you rely on maho too much?" Shuu admonished. Touma replied by leaping onto Shuu's back and rubbing his fist in the bigger man's head.

"Hey," Ryo said. "That looks like fun. Can I join?" Not bothering waiting for a response, Ryo leapt onto Touma's back, performing the same maneuver. Shuu grunted at the added weight. It was not long before even the reserved Seiji and Shin joined the human tower. Shuu staggered under all the weight, laughing when he had breath. When his knees finally gave in, he and the four on his back landed into the river with a resounding splash. They got up laughing heartily.

"Kaosu, I haven't had this much fun in a good while!" Shuu exclaimed when they finally managed to drag themselves out of the water. "I feel like a ten year old again."

"That's because we're all acting like ten year olds," Seiji replied, shaking his head to get the excess water out.

"Ah, those were the days," Shin said. He did not bother to try and dry off because he did not mind being wet. "I remember the surfing contests we would have as kids back in Peace. I won every one of them, and the swimming contests, and the diving contests, and any other water contests there were."

"I liked climbing," Touma said, wringing out the ends of his shirt. "I drove my parents crazy because I was always somewhere really high, or I was riding really fast, or I was spending too much time with the hawks. Well, the hawk thing they didn't mind that much, but."

"I was in the dirt," Shuu added. "Digging and building and then smashing. I loved the smashing."

"Come on," Ryo said. "We have to get out of these wet clothes. If we get sick before the party, your mama will have a fit and kill us."

"She would at that," Shuu said, standing. "Come on."

Happily, they retreated back to the Fuans and headed upstairs, only to discover that Rinfi had taken all their spare clothes to be washed.

"Oh dear," Shin said.

"Not a problem," Shuu said. He disappeared into his room, returning with some oversized robes. "Put these on until I get back." The Lugan hopped down the stairs and disappeared to parts unknown. He returned twenty minutes later, his arms laden with packages. "I hope these are all the right sizes," he said as he tossed them to his friends.

"Shuu, these are beautiful!" Touma exclaimed as he ripped open his parcel. Inside was a silken robe of Lugan design. The prince hurried into another room to change, the others following suit.

Ryo was the last one to come out changed, and was comfortable in the silks. The others looked great, and Ryo was glad that the party was private. He could imagine what any girl would do if they saw the five of them together. It would not be pretty.

Yin, whom they had seen the least of the entire family, came up. He was also dressed in silks, and looked completely different now that he was clean. "We're about ready to start, if you guys decide to come down," he said blandly. Shuu grinned in reply and moved to tackle Yin. The younger brother would have none of that, however, and smartly dodged, jumping the last four steps to avoid Shuu's bear hug.

The five came down into the kitchen and entered the main part of the restaurant to see that it had been emptied sometime during the day. Mama Fuan, Papa Fuan, and Rinfi were also dressed in the formal silks, and the two youngest children, Mei Ryu and Chun Fa, were in silks that had obviously been played in, as they were wrinkled and dirty. Mama Fuan was glaring at them intently.

"Is this to be a formal party?" Seiji asked, seeing that several tables had been moved to the side and that there were some decorations and a sign saying "Welcome Home, Shuu and Friends!" hanging above the bar.

"Anything but," Rinfi said. She eyed Seiji suddenly, and the Korin elf shrunk back. "But we figured we'd give you a taste of how cool it is to live in Luga."

"Meaning?" Shin asked.

"We're showing off," Shuu answered. "In case you haven't noticed, it's a family tradition."

Rinfi carried a tray in her hand, offering it to the five. It held several glasses of many varieties of drinks. Each helped himself to his favorite. Mei Ryu and Chun Fa danced around the five, and Rinfi continued to eye Seiji, who continued to back away. Ryo grinned as he watched Shuu and Yin talk shop and Shin and Mama Fuan share recipes. Papa Fuan disappeared to the kitchen occasionally either to refill drinks or to bring out appetizers.

Seiji ducked behind Ryo. "Make her go away," he whispered.

"Who? Rinfi?"

"Yes, she keeps looking at me, wanting to talk to me."

Ryo grinned openly. "Girls just can't resist you, Seiji."

Seiji hid further behind the Kaosan disciple. "That is the problem."

"You mean even the ever reserved Korin elves can't bring themselves to letting you know when they think someone is beautiful?"

"Something like that."

An idea hit Ryo, and he calmly strode up to Rinfi as Seiji ducked to join Shin and Mama Fuan. "Rinfi?"

"Yes? Ryo-san?" the waitress asked.

"About Seiji," he stared, grinning evilly.

Rinfi immediately turned a very bright red. "Yes?"

"Well, he's become quite fond of you during our stay here," he said. Rinfi's blush deepened and Ryo pressed on. "He's really quite attached, but as a light elf, he's not really good at expressing himself."

"Is that why he keeps running away?"

"Oh, yes," Ryo said, the grin broadening. He looked over to the elf in question, well behind Shuu and Yin now. "He just doesn't know what to do or how to act around you."

"I see, I see," Rinfi said, a smile spreading over her face. "I suppose I should go over and tell him to act naturally."

Ryo nodded firmly. "Just tell him to be direct, and I'm sure everything will be fine. Well, I'm off." Ryo quickly sought cover by entering conversation with Touma. "Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked.

Touma nodded; his mouth full of finger food. Choking it down, he replied, "Yeah. Most of the parties that I go to are all formal, with strict rules and etiquette. This is a nice mix. You dress nice and then have fun. The kids are fun too. Mei Ryu asked if I could take him flying one day, and Chun Fa asked if I'm betrothed to anybody. I think she's taken with me."

Ryo laughed. "Well, Rinfi is taken with Seiji. He's going to want to kill me in a few minutes."

"Aimed her at him?" Touma asked; a bright smile on his face.

"And told her he was interested."

"Ah," Touma sighed. "You're asking for it."

"Who's asking for it?" Shuu asked; he and Yin joining the conversation.

"Me," Ryo answered. "I just sicced your sister on Seiji."

"Oh, you are asking for it," Yin said. "The last time I saw her that taken by a guy she erupted when she found out he wasn't interested."

"Yeah," Shuu said expansively. "After she kills Seiji, she going to kill you."

"Can we watch?" Touma asked. The four of them turned to see Rinfi talking quietly with Seiji, all of them grinning madly and wondering when the eruption was going to take place. Seiji looked distinctly uncomfortable, backing away and trying politely to get away. Rinfi was persistent, however, like any Fuan was, and continued to move in close and try to catch him. It was perhaps the first time they had ever seen the Korin elf squirm, and they loved every minute of it. Seiji continued to back away, running into one of the stools and toppling over. Ryo, Touma, Shuu, and Yin erupted in laughter. Seiji realized the joke and glared ice cold daggers at them. Rinfi, too, saw the trick and opted to storm to Ryo.

"Time to run," Ryo said, side stepping Rinfi and quickly making his way to Papa Fuan. "Would you like some help with that?" he asked quickly, and took the tray before he could comment. He then moved swiftly to Mama Fuan and Shin, seeing that Mei Ryu had joined them for some reason.

"Ryo?" Shin asked. "What are you doing with the trays?"

"Avoiding the wrath of Rinfi. I pulled a little joke on her and Seiji and the two are set to kill me."

"Oh, THAT'S was happened!" Mama Fuan said.

Shin looked appalled. "That wasn't very nice, Ryo!"

"Of course it wasn't," Ryo said. "But it was funny, wasn't it?"

"I can't believe you would do something like that!"

"That's why it worked!" Ryo justified. Mama Fuan laughed and Shin could not help but follow suit.

When the Rinfi gave up trying to choke Ryo, Seiji took over and managed to do it. After that more food and drinks were passed around. Everyone ate heartily and enjoyed themselves. Just when they thought the party was starting to get boring, however, a new guest burst into the tavern.

"Ah! I'm not too late I hope?" asked a short, old looking man. The entire Fuan family choked on whatever they were eating or drinking at the time.

"Grandfather?" Papa Fuan asked; a nervous smile on his face.

"In the flesh!" the small old man exclaimed. "My! It looks like we're having a party! A party! Why wasn't I invited?"

"Because it was a private affair," Rinfi said gracefully. Her little sister was not so tactful.

"Because we didn't want you to drop by!" Chun Fa answered simultaneously. The Fuans froze as Ryo and the others just watched.

The old man only laughed. "I see, I see. I've been dropping by too often, then, I suppose. But look! I've given you three whole weeks to be rid of me. I got lonely, because nobody will welcome me into their homes anymore, and then I remembered that the Fuans will let anybody in. Here I am!" He laughed again, somehow finding his words funny. He took a cup of sake from Papa Fuan's tray and gulped it down. A pink tint rose in his cheeks almost immediately. "Still carry the best sake in town. Always did. My! What have we here?" he asked as he turned to Ryo, Touma, Seiji, and Shin. The four were trying very hard not to gape at what was transpiring. "I thought you said this was private, Rinfi-kun. Who are these people?"

"They're gonna help Shuu save the world!" Mei Ryu happily proclaimed. Someone groaned.

The old man's eyes lit up. "Really?" He took another cup of sake and downed it. "Fellow mercenaries, then? You don't look the part, I'd say. The light elf, maybe, but you three look nothing like warriors. Where was your most recent battle?"

Shin answered before Shuu could stop him. "Suiss." Shuu put his head in his hands and shook it in defeat. The odd little old man proceeded to berate Shin with questions about the battle. An hour later, when he was satisfied, he turned to Seiji and asked his next question.

"And you, pretty elf," he said. The man was very high on sake by this point. "The four of you are all very attractive. No scars. It doesn't do a merc good these days if too many pretty people get in the business. People will start thinking it's glorious. But with looks like yours, I have to wonder, how many women have you done?"

Seiji had enough presence of mind to look offended. He glared at the old man and put a hand to where his sword would be, were he not wearing the Lugan silks. The effect was not strong enough, however, because Seiji's face had turned the red of Ryo's clothes and his ears were shaking. The old man appeared to be too drunk to notice the danger.

"Well? How many? Come on boy, I imagine even elves like to boast about their triumphs. Oh, unless of course you haven't had any women? In that case, how many men?"

_Let me strike him_, Seiji's thoughts sounded. His face was livid and his entire body was shaking. _Let me pound him into the ground, please. I am sorry that he is your Grandfather, Shuu, but there are some things you do NOT ask a Korin!_

_No, Seiji_, Shuu answered, his head still in his hands. _He's a harmless old man who doesn't know any better. He's actually pretty wise when he's sober, but he's never sober._

_Please_, Seiji insisted.

"What's the matter?" the old man asked. He could not hear the conversation going on and was wondering why the Korin elf was taking too long to answer. "Too many to count eh?" He patted Seiji on the shoulder heartily. Well, he tried to reach the shoulder but was too short to reach it; he ended up patting Seiji's back. He turned to Touma, who had a look of dread on his face.

"What about you?" he asked. "You're an odd one at that. Why'd Shuu let a woman fight with him?"

Touma face faulted.

"I mean sure, you're well built for a woman. Tall, small bust, long legs. But you women are so much weaker than men in the strength department. So fashion conscious and gabby. Look at your hair! Why would even a woman dye their hair blue? And look at your features. How much make up are you wearing to look that way? The elf at least has natural beauty. You must get so jealous of him. Unless of course you're trying to bed him. Good luck, he's like that king in Hashiba."

By now Touma was so deep into the ground that he could not be seen. _Can I kill him?_ His thought filtered up from the Touma-shaped hole in the ground. _Please? Pretty please? By the three gods, a GIRL? MAKE UP? Me and SEIJI??_

The old man turned his sites to Ryo, and his felt his stomach go cold. Sure, he had had been around long enough to know all about annoying guests and guests that wouldn't go away, but Shuu's grandfather took the cake. He feared what the old man would ask.

The small man stared beady, drunk eyes up to Ryo, who was sweatdropping madly. "You look a little young to be a mercenary. How old are you?"

Of course he would pick that to ask. Ryo gulped. "Uh, how old do I look?"

"Like a kid. How'd you rope Shuu into hiring you? You got some special skill or something? Or are you just a horse boy?"

"Uh. . ."

"I knew it. Shuu, you have a fraud. This boy here ain't all that old. Probably younger than Yin. Where you from boy? Who's missing you? Running away ain't gonna solve any problems, it'll just make'm worse."

He was lecturing Ryo? The Kaosan disciple didn't know whether to laugh or be offended.

"Sir, I'm probably twenty times your age," Ryo said lamely, trying to get himself out of the grandfather's harangue. Only too late did he realize he had actually dug himself in deeper.

"Twenty times?" the old man exclaimed. "Twenty times? Boy, that would make you almost two thousand years old! Don't try to get out of this. Now, what made you run away from home? Now let me tell you something. . ." The man entered an hour long lecture about family life and working though problems and sticking it out. He littered the narration with several cases in point involving the Fuan family, all the anecdotes extremely embarrassing. By the time the old man finished, everyone from Papa Fuan to even the youngest, Chun Fa, were bright red and ready to kill the object of their embarrassment. To further the matter, the old man was now so drunk that his words were slurring together and making him talk louder to compensate for the lack of clarity.

When Shuu's grandfather turned back to Shin to ask another question, he found eleven people pick him up and quite literally throw him out of the tavern, slamming the door afterwards.

"Cursed old man," Mama Fuan muttered. "Ruining a perfectly good party."

"Oh, I don't know," Rinfi said, still pink. "I liked the part where he was trying to pair Touma-san and Seiji-san together."

Everyone looked at her and then laughed.


	29. Yuuki28

Castle Yagyu was a name that implied a solitary, yet massive building that held some sort of family and perhaps servants. It was known as a place that would follow Arago in word, yet believed in Kayura. A small outpost in the Yagyu marshes for a family to somehow maintain self-sufficiency. A singular home that was merely on the map because of some historical event that nobody could remember. This was what anyone expected when they went to Castle Yagyu. In reality, Castle Yagyu was a little different.

Yes, there was a castle, and yes it believed in Kayura while proclaiming Arago. However, it was not a singular castle for a family and servants, nor was it a small outpost. Castle Yagyu was a thriving town in the middle of the marshes, though the buildings surrounding the castle were crude and rough shod. It was not unusual to see a building with planks of rotting wood, due to the extreme moisture that surrounded the town, but the citizens seemed unconcerned by such meaningless details. The buildings themselves didn't look particularly stable, appearing to be nothing more than pieces of wood that somehow fell together to make a structure one could live under.

And in the center of it all was the actual Castle of Yagyu. The Yagyus, descendants of Kenbukyo, the first follower of Kayura, had been in the marshes for centuries. The castle was an imposing edifice, somehow made of stone yet not sinking into the unstable ground that surrounded the town. It was also an unusual design for a castle. Normally, castles were towering fortresses with tiny windows, parapets, and spires reaching for the sun. This castle was spread out over much of the town with wide open doorways, large open windows, and a large dome covering the central portion of the castle. It was the only building that seemed to have any sense of the inhabitants actually having any wealth.

Still, despite being in a poor yet surviving town, Shuten and his companions didn't seek to draw attention to themselves. So they had decided to go to the poorest inn in the whole town, which had more rotting wood than any other building and was infested with rodents. Thankfully, Shuten wasn't at the inn at the moment. He had left his three companions arguing about something because he didn't particularly feel like trading cards with them at the moment. While they were saving money by staying at the run down shack of an inn, Shuten felt like making some money, so he had packed up his dice and cards hand headed out into the drizzle to find a good bar to gamble at.

Shuten looked up to cloudy sky that dropped rain down whenever it felt like it. They still didn't quite know what they were supposed to do in this shack town. Sure, they had speculated that they'd probably meet a follower of Kayura and they'd have to make nice to him, but they didn't know who the follower was, especially since the whole town was known to follow Kayura. Perhaps while he was making his money Shuten could find out some information on who they were supposed to meet.

Looking back up the street, Shuten saw a bar that held some promise. It looked like it catered to the wealthier citizens of the town. It would be a good place to start. Shaking some of the rain off his face, he entered into the bar and took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dimmer lighting. Sure enough, some of the patrons looked like they might have some funds they'd be willing to donate to Shuten. It wasn't that they looked rich, they just did a poor job of looking poor. If anything, it spoke of a lot of money in this run down town that would normally fascinate Shuten if he weren't here for some obscure reason.

The bar also proved that the town had some very pretty females hiding in all the dirt and swamp. One in particular caught Shuten's eye. She was a reddish-brunette, with a pair of very bright green eyes, similar to his own. She was speaking with a short dumpy man who appeared to be the owner of the bar. What hit Shuten the most about her was that she didn't appear to be a commoner. Or rather, she didn't seem the kind of women who fell for the silly ideas of love and would gladly bed the first man who claimed to love her. She instead appeared to be the kind holding out for a longer relationship. Shuten wasn't sure how he knew that, but her very air held some sort of moral being that would lend itself to wanting more than a one-night stand.

Shuten took a seat at a table along the wall that still let him appreciate the girl's beauty. When he had first started to notice girls it was shortly before his father was marked as an Oni. After that he didn't really have much time to pay attention to wooing the opposite sex. Certainly, he had enjoyed a woman's services from time to time as he needed them, but when he went back to Hashiba, any hope of even having those pleasures disappeared as he started to focus on his overthrow of O-sama. Then came all the travel in chasing the Troopers. So for Shuten to finally be able to sit down and view a pretty woman was definitely something he could thank the gods for. It was a very welcome change of pace than viewing the ugly faces he had to ride with.

The waiter came by and gave Shuten a glass of water, interrupting his appreciation. Realizing that he was staring, Shuten turned and looked to the patrons once again, looking for an easy mark who would donate some funds. At the other end of the room was a promising looking target, a young, tubby looking boy who was starting to fill up in drink and was starting to boast of something. Picking up his glass of water, Shuten walked over to the boy's table and sat down.

"Hey, stranger-san," the boy greeted, face flushed with liquor. "What brings you way out here?"

"Business," Shuten replied. "But right now, I seek relaxation. I was wondering if any of you played cards?"

The boy offered a sloppy smile and looked to his cronies. "I'm the best player in town, if you know what I mean," he answered. "These losers try and win against me, but they haven't yet."

The "cronies" in question laughed, rather tipsy themselves. Rather than laughing at the insult, they instead howled with the double meaning of the boy's first line.

"Then perhaps you can provide me with a challenge," Shuten offered. "I have some luck with cards and a nice leisurely game would do some good after such a long travel."

"You sure?" the boy asked. "You'd lose your money awfully quick. I think even my friends could beat you."

Shuten lay his deck in front of the fools and then put down a few coins. "Shall we find out? Loser of each round buys drinks?"

"Sure," the boy replied. "But you're only drinking water."

"I can't stand anything stronger. You'll have to forgive me."

"No problem. But we'll play with my deck if that's okay with you."

"As you wish," Shuten replied. No doubt the boy won because he marked the deck. But the odds were still in the Kitsune's favor. He could use the marking against his opponent. But if he was to secure good funds, he'd have to let the boy think that he was winning. But not without losing too much of his own coins.

As Shuten predicted the first few rounds went to the boy and a friend who had an unusually lucky hand. A crowd began to gather after the round between the boy and his crony, so Shuten thought it might be a good chance to start showing that he was better with cards than the whelp in front of him. With the crowd interested and watching, the boy was going to be humiliated. Shuten was feeling rather unkind at the moment, so he really wanted to show the boy the consequences of living so high and large. After all, it was wealthy upstarts in the Hashiban throne that had ruined his life. Any chance Shuten had to give wealthy illegitimates their comeuppance was almost a civic duty for him. Besides, the Kitsune gambler had been traveling for the better part of a year and was getting a little weary of everything if he gave himself the chance to feel it. And after realizing that he hadn't had the chance to admire women for the duration of his travels, he was feeling pretty weary of everything.

Shuten offered a cold smile to the runt as he slowly started to turn the rounds to his favor. The crowd increased as he proved that he knew a thing or two about cards. They had reached the point that the prize pot was actually quite large and Shuten looked forward to taking everything and then calling it quits.

Needless to say, he was rather surprised when he received a kiss on the cheek. Shuten turned quickly and looked into the green eyes of the brunette he had been appreciating earlier.

"For luck," she whispered into his ear.

"Nas't'i-san!" wailed Shuten's opponent with a voice slurred from too much to drink. "You're givin' yer blessin' t' a stranger?!"

"Now, Dala-san," the woman, Nasutei, admonished. "It's nice to see someone else who can win from time to time."

"But, but!"

"Now, now, just think of this as a lesson," she replied coolly. "After all, don't all three gods prefer a little humility from time to time? At the very least, I don't think your father would approve of you're always gambling, drinking, and chasing."

"Butta stranger?"

"He seems to have a good chance against you."

"I thank you," Shuten cut in, "But as much as I appreciate your wish, I don't think I need any luck."

"Perhaps not here," Nasutei replied, "but in another area of your travels, perhaps."

If only she knew.

"Be that as it may," Shuten smiled, returning to the game, "this game is over with in any case."

"Wha??"

"Lay out your cards. I have no more to add to the pot."

They tubby young Dala gulped before looking down to his hand again. He seemed to be assured by what he saw, so he dropped the remaining contents of his wallet out onto the table.

"Yer not gonna win 'gainst me, stranger. I always win." Dala smiled with drink and then lay out his cards. Shuten put down his own and collected his winnings.

When he turned, the brunette was gone, to Shuten's disappointment, but at least the idiotic Dala had contributed some funds that would help the journey to wherever they were going next.

_Shuten, I think the person we were supposed to meet is here_, Rajura's voice came in his mind.

_That's good timing_, Shuten replied. _I just earned us some more traveling funds_. He turned to the disheartened Dala. "I thank you for the donation," he stated, "and I have some advice for you. Don't look like such a drunk boasting fool. It makes you an easy mark for people much better than me."

"Shaaaaa, you cheat'd, gimme back my coins," Dala growled.

"I feel I should correct you," Shuten retorted coldly. "You were playing with a marked deck. You were the one who was cheating."

"You 'll'git'mat'!" the drunk boy shouted, lunging forward to try and tackle the victor.

"I think you mean 'illegitimate'," Shuten corrected, easily dodging the lunge and tripping the tubby boy. Dala tumbled into his cronies.

Shuten left the bar with a heavier purse and feeling much better. It would have been perfect if he could have a chance to see the brunette, Nasutei, again, but he was doing just fine. It was still misty on the way back to the cruddy inn where the others were, but Shuten was walking with a much lighter step than when he had left the inn originally.

However, despite his good mood, he was utterly unprepared for what was awaiting him. In the room that Shuten and his companions were sharing, was Nasutei.

"Nasutei-san?" Shuten asked, confusion clear in his voice. "How did you find my dwellings?"

"You know her?" Rajura questioned, the eyebrow above his patch raising. "That proves to be very interesting."

"She and I met a few moments ago when I was," Shuten paused, unsure how to word his earning of more coins for travel.

Nasutei picked up on his hesitation. "When he was at a local tavern. And I am just as surprised that you are here as one of the Chosen." She smiled softly. "I never would have thought that I'd meet one of the Chosen in a bar. There is still so much I must learn." Her voice lowered, to barely a whisper. "I wish my grandfather was still here."

Shuten looked to his associates. Aside from introductions, it hadn't appeared that much else had been discussed. However, no one was really sure what to say. While they had all been expecting different things, the follower of Kayura that they figured they'd meet certainly wasn't pictured as a young girl their own age. Shuten, himself, had the picture of an aging man with a walking stick as the one they'd have to meet. To see a nice vixen as the follower of Kayura was appealing. It also floored all of them.

"Oh, come now," Nasutei admonished. "It's not so bizarre that I'm a follower of Kayura, is it?"

"In itself," Naaza retorted, the epitome of a lack of manners, "no. But to be such a high rank as to be the one we have to see is bizarre."

Shuten automatically landed a fist on the snake's head. "Show some manners for the lady," he growled.

"Cursed Kitsune Oni," was his reply.

"You had an elder," Anubisu interrupted, getting back to the heart of the matter, which wasn't their squabbling.

"Yes," Nasutei replied. "My family has protected one of the gifts for centuries. Almost a year ago, he passed away when the gift was stolen." The young women looked down briefly, a silent moment of grief before looking up again. "When that gift was stolen, I knew that the final moves of the game were being played between Kaosu-san and Arago-san. I've been waiting and preparing."

Shuten offered a chair to the lady, being a gentleman. Perhaps when this was all over, he might be able to come back to this woman and see what a relationship was like. She certainly caught his eye and interest.

"You four are Arago-san's players, are you not?" she asked.

"It would appear so," Rajura replied. "You certainly seem to have more information than we have at the moment."

"Really?" Nasutei responded, tilting her head. "You've taken long enough to get here, I thought you'd know all about this by now."

Several heads dropped into hands.

"Oh, I see. You've been too busy fighting Kaosu-san's players."

Well, that was true.

"There's more to it than that," Rajura replied, his voice trailing off.

"I'm sure you probably don't wish to discuss the details?" Nasutei offered.

"I hope you understand," Shuten answered, bowing slightly.

The Kayuran follower offered an unreadable smile. "Do you know why you are here?"

"No," the Kitsune replied. "We were merely informed that we had to come to Castle Yagyu."

"Well, I can't tell you much more than you've been told," Nasutei stated slowly. "I can't influence the game all that much unless Kayura-sama informs me."

Naaza hissed something offensive and Shuten landed another fist on the snake's head.

"What I can say, is that you are to head to Daasa Laska. That is where the final battle will be. It is there that you must choose."

"Choose?" Anubisu asked, bypassing the fact that they were going to Daasa Laska. "What must we choose?"

"Oh, honestly," Nasutei sighed in exasperation. "Arago-san is always so secretive." She looked up, and smiled. "I'm sorry, but I am unable to tell you that."

Naaza, cut in, "Which Daasa Laska? There are two, aren't there?"

"Yes," the young women replied. "And you'll be going to the Yami."

The dark elf stiffened, his hand going reflexively to his hilt. Naaza, with almost the same degree of automation, grabbed Anubisu's wrist, stopping him from actually grabbing the sword.

_Remember where you are_, the snake hissed.

_I_ refuse _to go back to that place_, Anubisu replied.

_Like you have a choice_, Rajura countered. _If she's telling us where to go, she'll tell those cursed Troopers where to go as well. Don't you want to kill that Korin?_

Anubisu growled, pulling his hand away from Naaza's grasp and storming to the window, staring out of it with an icy glare.

"Don't worry," Nasutei said to the wintry elf, "you will be grateful that you went when this is all over with."

"I'm certain," he replied coldly.

"Perhaps not now, but later," she said quietly. "You will all be grateful when this is over."

Shuten disagreed. There was very little he was actually grateful for. It would prove to be an interesting philosophical discussion if there weren't other people in the room as well as more pressing matters.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" asked Rajura.

"No. If Badamon-san hasn't told you, then I cannot."

"Then we're done here?" Naaza summarized.

"It would appear that way."

"So what will you do now?" Shuten asked.

"I will wait," she answered. "I am impartial, as Kayura-sama is, so I must inform Kaosu-san's players the same information I told you." She smiled toward him. "But I think that you've ensured I've got a long wait ahead of me, haven't you?"

Shuten smiled in response. "As much as I'd like to stay and help you pass the time," he stated, bowing and kissing her hand, "I think we will probably be leaving fairly soon. We thank you for your time, and hope to see you again someday."

Nasutei offered an unreadable smile. Standing, she bowed to the four of them. "Then I shall take my leave. I believe Dala-san needs to be taught a few lessons right now.

Shuten's smile widened. "I'm sure he does."

* * *

Ryo tightened the girth on the last horse and lead them out of the stables. It had been a week since the party, and now they were leaving. The Fuans had been quite shocked to hear the news, but Ryo explained that the Masho had a head start on them, and that they needed to get to castle Yagyu and quickly. Everyone mumbled and grumbled, but finally conceded the point.

Touma had come with him to the stables, and quickly mounted his white stallion. "I'm learning to hate saying goodbye, Ryo," he said.

"It's something we all do," the Rekka replied. He grabbed the reins of the two pack horses and walked beside Touma as the prince took the other three horses and lead them to the tavern where the others were waiting. "You eventually realize that you always see them again."

"How long did that take you?" Touma asked.

"A few hundred years."

"My point exactly."

The trip to the Fuans was not long, and Seiji and Shin climbed quickly onto their horses. Shuu stayed a moment, looking at his family. Mama Fuan was being held Papa Fuan, enough support to keep herself together. Rinfi and Yin looked concerned, realizing that this was a war completely different than the ones their big brother always fought. Rinfi hugged her older brother, and Yin tried to look like everything didn't bother him. The two youngest didn't have any concept of this, however, Mei Ryu was running around everybody, pretending he was Shuu and saving the day. Chun Fa climbed into Shuu's arms and kissed him for good luck. Then she looked over to Touma and winked at him.

Ryo smiled despite himself, and finally Shuu gave out a huge bark of a laugh.

"Come on, guys, you act like I'm walking into my final battle or something! Don't worry! I got four of the best backing me up and enough maho between the five of us to go up against Arago himself if we have to. Hahaha!"

"That makes me worry even more," Rinfi said flatly.

"Shuu," Papa Fuan said somberly. "We're your parents, your family. It's our job to worry about you."

Shuu shook his head. "Na. It's their," he gestured to his friends, "job to worry about me and keep me out of trouble. It's your job to tell Kayura-sama that if she even thinks about horsing around with us that she has to answer to you, got it? Then, when I get back home with the victory, you throw a party for the whole town!"

Despite their best efforts, the family finally caved in and smiled. They buried Shuu in one last bear hug. Digging himself out, Shuu hopped onto his roan charger and made it rear up, saluting his family before he kicked his heals and galloped off, leaving Ryo and the others hard pressed to keep up. The Fuans waved after them, long after they were out of sight.

When the others finally caught up, Shuu was well into the tunnels. Ryo noticed that the big Lugan was also trying his hardest to keep it together. Ryo nodded and let him take the point, falling back to the others.

"Where is Castle Yagyu anyway?" Shin asked.

Touma pulled out a map, scanning through it. "It looks just about smack in the middle of the Yagyu Marshes. Nasty country I've heard. There are swamps and pits of quicksand and huge reptilian monsters that'll eat you up. Don't know how much of that is true, though."

"It is tough traveling country," Ryo supplied, "But the crocodiles are hardly man eaters. They only tear you up if you pester them too much."

"Standard rule of the forest," Seiji surmised. "Do not bother the creature; the creature will not bother you."

"How long will it take to get there?" Shin asked, trying to picture crocodiles and paling at the thought.

"Well, if we press, only a couple of days," Touma said, still staring at the map. "The tunnel we're taking takes us right to one of the major tributaries of the Salt River. We travel downstream and we'll be there really quick."

"Is there something there that we have to do?" Shin directed his question down to Ryo.

"No do so much as meet," Ryo answered. "Castle Yagyu has been our ultimate destination since spring, because that was where the Inochi no Madatama was stolen. We need to ask Tokisaburou and his granddaughter Nasutei what happened and where we're supposed to go."

"But wait a minute," Touma said suddenly. "The three gifts have two tasks, earthly and godly. The earthly task of the Inochi no Madatama was to kill someone, right? Who did it kill?"

Ryo blinked. "I don't know." Touma, Seiji, and Shin face faulted.

"You don't know?"

"No," Ryo repeated. "Kayura-sama wouldn't just kill a random person, I know that would have been someone who had something to do with the game, but that could be anybody. It couldn't have been one of the chosen, obviously, but there are other players than you."

"Such as the Yagyu family?" Seiji asked, not liking where this was going.

"Yes, them too. There are dozens of people in this generation who had something to do with the game. Some of them you've met and some of them you haven't. It could be anybody."

"Depressing thought," Touma lamented. "Can we change topic?"

"Certainly."

"Has anyone else noticed that the tunnels are a lot brighter now that I've finished my work on the mirrors?" Touma asked, the image of a hawk preening his feathers.

Everybody groaned.

Shuu, who had finally slowed down, laughed, back to himself. "Yeah, while you were sleeping off the party, girly man," Touma threw a glare at him, "one of the officials from Gullog, the capital, came down to see your work. The Mirror Master threw your math notes to him and demanded to never be reminded of you again, slamming the door in his face, I'm told. You're such a likable girl, Touma."

The wayward prince tried to kick Shuu, but the big Lugan merely steered his horse away.

"I guess they were impressed, and have started to fix the rest of the mirrors."

That gave Touma a self-satisfied grin. "I told you."

"Yes," Seiji said mildly, "and told us, and told us, and told us."

"Hey!"

"And the garden?" Shin asked.

Shuu grinned. "It was a success. I told Rinfi about it before I left, and she's going to take care of it. Next year we'll bring another official around and show them how to use it. I want to be there for that, because now I think I'm a garden expert."

"It is hard to picture you a gardener," Seiji said lightly, "but I suppose all things are possible."

"You're asking to get your butt wooped, you know that, right?" Shuu asked, playfully offended.

"I am," Seiji answered. "I wish to be certain I have a challenge tonight."

Shin threw up his hands. "Leave me out of this!"

Seiji only grinned more. "Of course. You wish to be left out of everything."

"Seiji!"

"Answer me with your staff tonight."

"And the coy insult for me?" Ryo asked.

"You need no insult," Seiji explained. "All I have to do is threaten to take over looking after the horses."

Ryo looked shocked at even the thought of such a thing, causing everyone to laugh around him.

* * *

They left the mountains the next day, and by midday they were far enough down river to find a small port. Ryo haggled them a boat, and were off again. True to Touma's prediction, on the third day they reached a ragged collection of rotting wood that Ryo identified as Castle Yagyu. The others looked at him questioningly, but knew that Ryo of all people knew what he was talking about. As they passed through the town, the villagers smiled and waved.

"They recognize us?" Touma asked. "Will they turn me in?"

"No, not like that," Ryo answered. "They knew that you're four of the chosen. The Yagyu's aren't the type to coop up their knowledge or withhold it. They have a huge public library where the villagers can learn about the game and everything that's happened as a result of it. There aren't many traveling groups out there that consist of a monk-sir, a Korin elf, a mercenary, a blue haired man, and a disciple. We kind of stand out."

"Is that a wise thing in a country filled with followers of Arago-dono?" Seiji asked. "While we certainly are safe here; what about elsewhere?"

Ryo just smiled. He continued to walk ahead of the horses, leading them through the town. More people waved and threw out cheerful greetings, some even walking up and shaking their hands.

Finally, they reached the domed edifice of the Yagyu Castle. A servant came and took their horses, and Ryo looked up to the wide windows of the castle.

"Are we waiting for someone to lead us in?" Shuu asked.

"No, Tokisaburou always comes out to greet me," Ryo said, his voice sounding odd from craning his neck up. "He respects the fact that I'm a wanderer and greets me in my environment before leading me to his. That's what he always told me. Nasutei, at least the last time I saw her, was always playing around in the courtyard."

"When you last saw her?" Shin prompted.

"That was ten years ago," Ryo explained. "She must be what, twenty something now?"

"Twenty one," a rich female voice corrected. The five turned their heads, and some of them gaped, as a redheaded woman in pale lavenders strode gracefully up to them. She was beautiful. "And seven months."

"Tei-chan!" Ryo said brightly. He ran over to the tall woman and threw his arms around her. "Wow, you really have grown! Let me look at you!" Ryo pulled away from the embrace, taking Nasutei in. "You've gotten so tall now, and you filled out really well."

"Onii-chan!" Nasutei cried out, blushing. "I mean, Ryo! I'm a grown woman now!"

"Sorry, sorry," Ryo said. "Nasutei, you look wonderful."

The redhead giggled. "And you haven't changed a bit. You're exactly as I remember you." She gave a happy sigh and looked to the other four, standing awkwardly.

"You are Korin no Seiji, Suiko no Shin, Kongo no Shuu, and Tenkuu no Touma. Welcome to my home." Formally, Nasutei knelt down to them and bowed. Standing, she added, "We have much to discuss, please come in."

Seiji returned the bow formally, Touma not far behind. Shin and Shuu nodded their heads, uncertain where they were in terms of etiquette. Nasutei smiled and took long strides into the castle, Ryo walking right beside her.

"How's your grandfather?" Ryo asked. "He must really be feeling his age if he can't come out and greet me like he always does."

The bright look from Nasutei's face disappeared. "He was the one that Badamon killed."

Ryo stopped, frozen, his face aghast in shock. "Tokisaburou? Toki-kun?" His face darkened suddenly, his eyes hardening. "That blue skinned rat bastard. He was an old man! He--"

"Stop right there," Nasutei said, scolding her finger at him.

Ryo blinked, looking at her, "Nasutei, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I should have been here, I should have--"

And further lamenting was stopped by Touma, who had calmly walked up and rammed his fist in Ryo's head. "Does that help?" the prince asked.

After rubbing his sore spot, Ryo looked up and nodded. "Ah. You didn't have to hit so hard, though," he complained.

Touma made a face and ignored him, turning to Nasutei. "We're sorry for your loss," he said soberly. The others followed suit, offering their condolences and apologies. Nasutei accepted them greatfully and gracefully before leading them into a large sitting room. The ceiling reached high above them, light drapery hanging and swinging from the faint breezes filtering in from the wide windows. Nasutei offered them seats and sat down herself. Another servant appeared and she politely asked for tea. When the servant was gone, she leaned forward, suddenly all business.

"If you don't mind my asking, what took you so long? I have been waiting for over a week for you to appear after the other four did."

"The Masho have been through here?" Shin exclaimed.

Nasutei blinked. "Masho?"

"An old word," Ryo explained quickly. "It's what they call them. It roughly means general or warrior."

"I see," Nasutei said, absorbing the information. "So even in the chosen there is the need for distinction."

"Huh?" asked Shuu.

"Our world has not evolved all that much, it seems," Nasutei said, half explaining and half talking to herself. "The gods are supposed to guide and mold us, but it seems they are too busy fighting each other. Our world still needs to see our neighbor by our differences and not our similarities. We feel this irrepressible urge to classify everything and list what makes things different and inferior to us because we are of course, the race chosen by the gods to be superior to all. By Kayura-sama, we are such arrogant creatures."

Everyone, even Ryo, blinked.

"Yes," Nasutei said warily. "The 'Masho' were through here eleven days ago. Arago-san has set them off to the Yami Forest to wait for you."

"For us?" Seiji asked, stiffening visibly.

"Yes, Kayura-sama wants us to go to Yamchii and get the Kikoutei. We're going to bring about the endgame."

Ryo blinked and threw his question out before the others, "'Us?'"

"Yes, I'm coming with you."

Ryo stood. "You can't be serious! It's too dangerous! You don't have any maho; don't have any means to protect yourself. If we run into the other four and there's a magic fight before the endgame, you'll be hurt or worse! Badamon will have to be there and he already--"

Nasutei stood to her full height, a few inches taller than Ryo, and glared at him. The Rekka quickly ran out of steam under her gaze, and limply fell back into his seat. The other four stared on in wonder.

"How did you do that?" Shuu asked. "Nobody can stare him down!"

Nasutei sniffed and sat back down. "That is because you haven't been involved with very many women."

"Returning this back to the point of topic," Touma said cautiously, not sure how to digest Nasutei's most recent comment, "Yamchii? The Kikoutei?"

"Yes," Nasutei said, falling immediately back into business mode. "Things have gone on long enough. Kayura-sama feels that the eight of you have been thoroughly tested, and that it's time we moved things along. You've seen just about everything you need to see, and learned just about everything necessary to learn for the endgame. All the information is there for you to make the decision, all that's left is for you to make it. So, since Ryo got the Go Retsu Ken and Badamon got the Inochi no Madatama, I have to get the Kikoutei. I am the Neutral."

"The what?" Ryo asked. The others turned to Ryo, shocked that there was something about the endgame that he didn't know.

"A battle of this scale needs to be witnessed," Nasutei said, "by eyes that have nothing to do with the battle, a Neutral. It makes sense if you think about it. Every fight needs an objective person in order to resolve the fight. I am that objective person. My family was hand-picked by Kayura-sama. We've learned everything we can about both gods, about their tactics, their sins, their deeds, and their intentions -- both good and evil. We, I, understand better than anyone of this earth that they are not perfect, that they had both good and bad tasks performed. I have no preferences, not expectations, of what will happen. I merely watch. The three Gifts need that neutral eye, and I am the one to give it."

Touma nodded, absorbing the information quickly and mentally fitting it into the grand picture that he was starting to see. The others, however, were a little swirly eyed. "Why didn't Ryo know this?" the prince asked.

"Yeah, why didn't I?"

Nasutei smiled warmly. "If you had known, would you have tried to sway me?"

"Of course not," Ryo said. "You know I know better than that."

"Consciously, yes," Nasutei replied. She ran a hand through her long reddish hair and leaned back in her chair. "But you would have always been on your best behavior with me, whether you were aware of it or not, and I would not have been able to see you for all that you are. The same thing applies to Badamon. He's listening to this conversation right now, that's why I can tell you all this."

Ryo straightened to sharp attention, casting his senses out.

Nasutei continued. "It's really moot point, Ryo. It's too late now for either of you to have any sway over me. Even when he killed my grandfather," her face darkened slightly, her voice trailing off. "I've had the year to sort through my grief. That is the reason it took you so long to get here, to give me time. Now I can look at what has happened as part of the game. I don't like it, not in the slightest, but I can put it into perspective. I couldn't have if you came within months of his death."

"I'm starting to feel very small again," Touma said, finally getting in over his head.

The servant finally arrived with the tea, placing it in front of everyone before bowing and leaving.

Nasutei sipped her tea, again leaning back into her chair and savoring the taste. "I can see this is going to be a bit different that I had initially thought."

"I'm afraid to ask, but how so?" Shin asked.

"I thought things would be more balanced," Nasutei said, sounding suddenly very weary. "The Masho are only just starting to figure out what you learned much earlier on, they are much farther behind you in terms of understanding their purpose. They are also slightly behind in their emotional states. There are still a few things that still need to be dealt with, and Kayura-sama has assured me that that will happen before we run into them. There is also the fact that Badamon is deliberately keeping things from them, because he doesn't think that they need to know when they do. He can be such a headache sometimes."

"Well," Ryo said, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't like Badamon all that much, but even he is not stupid enough to not follow the rules. But if he himself doesn't know the rules, then how can he follow them?"

Nasutei narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "You are suggesting that Arago-san is keeping his disciple in the dark?"

"Well, he did kidnap Kayura-sama," Ryo said slowly.

"Ryo, not that again," Nasutei said. "Kayura-sama doesn't remember that, so I can't allow something like that to enter my judgment."

"But it did happen."

"It probably did. But then it's just as likely that Kaosu-san did as well."

Ryo took offense, "He wouldn't!"

"You don't know that," Nasutei pointed out. "All you know about him is what he has shown you. Even you don't know everything that he has done while he was here, and nothing of what he did beforehand. Even I don't know everything, and that is the point. You don't know what a god is capable of."

Ryo stared at her, obviously hurt and offended by what she said. His fists shook slightly, and finally he sat down, brooding.

"Moving on," Shin said quickly. "Will we be going out? Or are we staying here for a few days?"

"We leave tomorrow. We have a lot of ground to cover," Nasutei said, eyeing Ryo. "I know all the shortcuts, and I need to teach Shin and Seiji about traveling in the desert."

Shin and Seiji looked questioningly at her.

"Both of you are susceptible to the desert. Shin, because you will be so far away from water. It will disorientate you quite a bit until you get used to it. Seiji, you are so pale. If we do not treat you, you will be pealing within a few hours travel."

"We won't be traveling at night?" Shuu asked. "That should be the best protection against the sun."

"It should," Nasutei said. "And after a while we will start traveling at night, but the first stretch is very dangerous at night. The nomads are farther south right now, and they aren't afraid of slitting throats during the day while travelers sleep, especially if they think they are doing a favor to their god."

The four of them gulped as Nasutei continued to explain what they were going to do.


	30. Yuuki 29

Rajura rolled his head and shoulders as he rode. Sweat was trickling down every feasible body part; even the nights were boiling. The moon was low in the sky, a few vestiges of the day still lingering as they traveled. He rolled his head again, feeling several cracks down his neck. His hair was matted with sweat, and to compensate he pulled it back into a thick braid. It swished slightly in a stiff breeze.

They were going north to the Yami Forest, and were sticking close to the Lugan Mountains and its small amount of protection from the desert heat. Things were calm; there was no requisite need for speed as in past months. They moved at night and avoided the toughest nomad paths by traveling up into the mountains.

Things were quiet.

Rajura had not known the last time things were quiet. When he had met his associates, everything was training, training, training. Then there came the lectures by Arago about his plan to win the game and defeat the cursed Kaosu. After that was the trip east and their various assignments. Then the chase of the Troopers. Everything came one after another after another. It was the first time Rajura could think of where they were the one's setting the Trooper's pace.

"Rajura," Shuten said in a low voice. His hair was also pulled back, into a high ponytail.

"Yes?"

"I'd like to talk to you," he said quietly. Rajura looked ahead, noticing that Naaza and Anubisu were well ahead. Anubisu had every conceivable layer off to withstand the heat. Naaza looked right at home.

"About what?"

"Naaza," Shuten said, still keeping his voice soft.

"What about him?"

Shuten paused, his mouth opening several times and then closing again, not finding the words. Rajura wiped his damp forehead, pushing away his wayward bangs and trying to ignore the heat.

"The Troopers are a well-oiled team," Shuten started. "Our singular encounters with them ended in failure, and our group encounter in Sthiss was less than successful." Rajura nodded, letting Shuten continue. "One man versus five cannot work. Four individuals against five cannot work. We must be a well-oiled team in order to stand a chance against them."

"You have mentioned this before," Rajura stated.

"I know, and this statement has run over and over in my mind since the meeting with Nasutei. We may be ahead of them in terms of distance; but we are still behind on so many things. The Troopers know much more about what our roles, our destinies, are than we do. They have a firmer grasp of some massive picture that is not revealed to us. Arago-sama does not wish to reveal everything to us. That is his right. But Badamon has hidden things from us; I feel that he has even lied to us. I remember. . ." Shuten trailed off, his face suddenly far away. "I remember a man with a bluish hue to his skin when I was a child. It was he that pointed the officials to my father."

Rajura stiffened, remembering a similar man encouraging the hanging when his family was lynched. He pushed it away.

"I believe Badamon was the one who killed my family."

"You have been doing a lot of thinking," Rajura replied. He was not sure what else to say.

"I have. We cannot trust Badamon, at least I cannot trust him; and with our limited knowledge of our roles, our options are limited."

"Meaning?"

"We have to work as a team."

They traveled for a moment in silence, both absorbed in their thoughts. Rajura was following Shuten's logic, and the logic jarred him on an unknown level. He felt uncomfortable working with others, had considered himself a loner. Yet, looking back over the past year, he had become what he could only consider close friends with Shuten. The proof was with this very conversation. It was a disconcerting thought. He had not expected it, had not wanted it, yet he found himself glad that he had it.

"We have become. . . close," Shuten said slowly, reaffirming Rajura's thoughts. "I am thankful for it. I have some stepping ground with Anubisu, and I am trying to expand it. It is not easy."

"With Anubisu I do not doubt it."

Shuten grinned and grabbed his canteen, taking a long swig. "Naaza, however."

"Ah," Rajura said. "Your abuse of the Doko has hindered any chance you have at trying to become his teammate."

"I have not abused him," Shuten spat. "I used the wrong method to sober him from the heat. Everything else is him taking everything personally."

"That is your first error," Rajura said. He found perverse pleasure in pointing out the Kitsune was wrong.

"What?"

"You have done nothing but torture the Doko since the two of you have met. You constantly belittle his ideas and points and suggestions. You are always hitting him to try and get him to behave according to the Hashiban nobility etiquette, when he is obviously not from such a class. You squash anything he has to say."

Shuten blinked. "I have not done all that," he defended.

"You have, and much more." Rajura rolled his shoulders again. They had been doing nothing but riding for the last several days, and his limbs were getting stiff. "For all your expertise in social and group dynamics, of how one person's actions effect another's, you have the ultimate flaw of failing to apply it to yourself. You have only shown yourself as nothing but a superior Hashiban noble to us. Everything you did was proper, elegant, and intelligent. You constantly looked down your nose at us, sneering at our failures and sniffing at our victories. You did not let yourself open up to us until this year. Now you expect this sudden change in character to have a marvelous effect on the rest of us, making us understand the high handed knowledge you bestow on us and follow you blindly to your way of thinking. In many ways, you have not changed at all."

Shuten took the words in slowly. Rajura saw the Kitsune turn every phrase over in his mind, comparing and contrasting his memories of how something happened to how they would have looked to another. Rajura nodded and continued riding, giving Shuten his time. For once, he had the time to give.

"I had thought that I had matured," Shuten said slowly.

"You have," Rajura said slowly, picking his words carefully. "You obviously have made some conclusions and speculations that are, gods curse it, well beyond the three of us."

"You are admitting inadequacy?"

"No, I'm admitting you have a small point that should be considered," Rajura replied irritably. "You fail to realize, however, that no one is ever on exactly the same level. Not two people act exactly alike. Past experience, family, culture, and expectations all have an effect on how we act, how we react, and how we think. You are a Hashiban noble, you think like a Hashiban noble. I am a Gen, I think like an aristocrat because I was born a natural genius." Shuten did not comment. "Anubisu is an elf, he thinks like an elf. Naaza is a Doko, and he thinks like a Doko. Those are all very, very, different from one another. There are some similar threads. For example, you and I are both intellects, and we can familiarize ourselves with each other through debate. I note that we like philosophical and psychological debates, such as this. Anubisu has a very strong moral core, which is somewhat akin to your loyalty to the crown. It gives you stepping ground, as you called it."

"And you and Naaza?" Shuten asked.

"We both understand, explicitly, what it is like to not be wanted. To be cast out and hated simply because of your heritage."

There was another long silence as the two of them road. Rajura had given Shuten a lot to think of, not all of it pleasant. On one hand, Rajura felt oddly pleased that he knew something that Shuten had not. The intellectual games they played, while always entertaining and interesting, almost always were won by the Hashiba University Graduate. To have any victory was something to be savored. On the other hand, Rajura was worried that giving the Kitsune such negative information about himself would damage their friendship. It was not something Rajura enjoyed thinking about. He was thankful for the closeness with Shuten, somehow grateful that someone was there for him whenever he needed it. And now, to make things more confusing, Shuten was coming to _him_, and _he_ was being there for someone. He was needed to make Shuten understand how to go about fixing the damage he had done. A small, irritating voice in Rajura's head rejoiced at having what he had always wanted. He somehow sensed that it was real. A real need. The white haired Gen was afraid to bring himself to it completely. But somewhere along the line, he found he already had.

Shuten was not the only one to have a lot to think about.

Naaza and Anubisu slowed their horses, waiting for Rajura and Shuten to catch up.

"Do either of you have an extra canteen?" Anubisu asked.

"You emptied your stock again?" Rajura questioned, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

Shuten pulled one out and tossed it to the dark elf. "We won't be going into the mountains for another two days. Try to ration it."

Anubisu stopped in the middle of a long swig, gingerly replacing the stopper and ringing the canteen around his saddle. Naaza meanwhile was looking up to the stars. The moon was well into the sky now; they had been riding for several hours. He suddenly looked to the west, off into the rolling dunes of the desert. "We'll head into the mountains tomorrow," he said, his beady eyes narrow.

Shuten opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. He was already using what he had learned. "Why?" he asked simply.

Naaza glared at him, hissing something under his breath. "Because nomads are coming."

"How do you know this?" Rajura asked, looking to the west even as he asked.

"Maho," he said simply.

Rajura cast a sideways glance, looking at Shuten through his peripheral vision. Shuten again wanted to say something scathing, but bit back the words. Instead, he nodded his head. "Alright. Let's get going then."

"What?" Naaza asked. "No University advice? No intellectual criticism? No breach in etiquette?"

Again, Shuten bit back a reply. He glared at Naaza for a long moment, and Rajura wondered what he would do. Finally, the energy drained out of Shuten and he replied, "No."

"No?" Naaza asked lightly. "Are you sure there isn't something you want to say?"

"NO," he repeated forcefully. "Let's get going."

Shuten dug his heels into his horse, and trotted east into the mountains. Rajura sighed audibly and followed, knowing the other two would do the same.

* * *

Shin felt horrible. Nasutei was right when she said the lack of water would have an effect on him. He had always been close to water for as long as he could remember. Even in the Outlet, there had been streams and rainstorms. Here, though, the sun beat down on them and even with their white cloaks to guard them from serious damage, Shin felt as though the sun were sucking every drop of moisture he had. He glanced over at Seiji and saw that his friend was fairing little better. After only the first day of travel, the skin of his face, hands, and feet were an unhealthy shade of red. The next day began the peeling and itching. Shin could feel, even through the thought link they had, that Seiji was suffering just as much as Shin was.

Not wanting to dwell on his misfortune, Shin looked over to Touma and Shuu. The pair rode together as they shared maps back and forth, Touma determining their location and Shuu marking where his maho felt the nomads were sleeping the day away. Ahead of them were Ryo and Nasutei, the two of them talking and giggling as though they were in a schoolyard. Shin felt a pang of self-pity as a trickle of sweat rolled down the side of his face. It was so dry out here!

Ryo stopped, waiting for Shin and his horse to pace with him. "Is it really that bad?" he asked.

"You're not dying out here?" Shin exclaimed.

"No, my maho is fire, remember? That includes heat. This is a warm summer day in my book."

Shin muttered something darkly.

"I'm sorry," Ryo apologized. "It's hard for me to relate to things like this. I haven't felt really hot since before I received my maho, and my maho protects me from feeling really cold. Is there anything I can do?"

Shin scowled, but then an idea came to him. "If your body doesn't feel the temperature, can you make it so that we can't feel the temperature either?"

Ryo frowned as he thought about it. "So En Zan."

Shin felt as though he were wrapped in a blanket of additional heat. It pressed upon him, sapping the last of his sweat and making him feel as though he were on fire.

"Stop, stop!"

The maho immediately retreated and Shin slumped in his saddle, breathing heavily. The strength drained from him and the next thing the monk-sir knew, he was on the ground. Someone called out for water. A canteen was held to his lips, and he drank the water greedily.

"What happened?" Touma's voice demanded.

"Shin was feeling the heat too keenly," Ryo explained quickly. "He asked if there was anything I could do about it. I wasn't sure, so I experimented and," he left the sentence hanging. "I'm sorry."

"I was the one who asked," Shin managed to croak. He took another long gulp from the canteen. "It's just so dry out here that the heat is affecting me more. I keep trying to find water, but there isn't any for miles."

Nasutei knelt down by Shin, locks of her red hair spilling out over her white cloak. Examining him carefully, Nasutei started to give instructions. "Ryo, I think you did the reverse of what you were supposed to. Try to take away the heat, the same as you've been doing for Seiji's burns. Touma, see if you can call up a breeze from the mountains without turning it into a dust storm. Shin, can you make water yet?"

The monk-sir shook his head absently. "I'm not ready for that yet."

Nasutei knelt back, pondering. She gestured to the canteen. "Can you focus on filling that?"

Shin frowned, looking at the canteen. His brow knitted, and he concentrated. "Cho Ryu Ha." For a moment the air was thick with humidity, and the canteen was suddenly heavy in Shin's hand. He took an experimental sip. "It's the best water I've ever tasted!" he exclaimed. No sooner had he made the proclamation than a cool breeze drifted by them.

Touma let out a sigh. "That was hard. I wonder if it would be easier to pull from the higher atmosphere. The proximity to space makes the air cooler, and it's significantly easier to reach and pull it down than it is to grab from the mountains and bring it over all that terrain. Hmm." Touma absently muttered his magical phrase and lifted into the air, pondering.

Ryo grinned at Touma's trailing off and turned to Shin. "Here, So En Zan." The heat seemed to pull away from Shin.

"Wow, that feels really good." Shin got up, feeling better than he had in days, and adjusted his cloak before mounting his mare again. "Thank you, guys, thank you." He cast his thank you mentally to Touma, who was too high up to hear. His reply was only some strange equations. "Thank you," he said again.

"Thank Nasutei," Ryo said, relieved to see Shin was okay.

"I hardly did that much," Nasutei said as she mounted her horse. It was a brown and white Appalachian mare. The spotted horse shook its head and began walking again, Ryo by its bridle.

"You're very down to earth," Shuu commented to Nasutei, taking the reins of Touma's empty stallion and pulling it along with them. Seiji took the pack horses.

"My grandfather was very down to earth," the redhead explained conversationally. Ryo looked away, still feeling guilty. "He told me that when things happen, the best thing to do is to just do it. Vacillating and indecision just prolong the event, so go with your instinct and don't look back. It's served me very well."

"Oh?" Shuu asked. Another, cooler breeze filtered from somewhere. Touma was experimenting again.

"Well, for one, I realize that my intelligence puts me in a class of my own. Even the people in the village don't quite match me. I know that I'm meant to have a large role in the endgame. So I decided to go against the grain, as it were, and didn't even bother looking for a man."

"You are not one who needs one," Seiji said slowly. His hand rose to scratch his burned face, but he exerted willpower and forced it back to the reins of the pack horses.

Nasutei laughed. "That's one way of looking at it. I wasn't groomed to be kept weak and needy and dependent, like most women are in Yuuki. My status doesn't come from my husband but from myself. It's very empowering."

"I'm glad to hear it," Ryo said. "This world needs more girls, er, women like you. We'd come a lot farther if we did."

"You're flattering me, Ryo," Nasutei playfully admonished. The Rekka blushed and put a hand behind his head sheepishly. He muttered a "sorry," to which Nasutei admonished again. "You've been doing nothing but apologizing since we started traveling. Don't tell me you're falling back into that 'everything is my fault' phase."

Ryo blinked, surprised. "That's a very big part of my character, Tei-chan. It's hard for me to part with it."

"You get annoying when you do that," Nasutei said lightly. "The world does not fall on your shoulders alone." Nasutei grinned. "Only mostly."

Ryo hung his head, giving up.

"What is life in Yuuki like?" Shin asked. He tried to pull his matted hair away from his face with little success.

"Well, hot for one," Nasutei said. "This isn't nearly as bad as it is in the summer." Shin and Seiji both made faces. "The marshes aren't all that bad. It gets humid from time to time, and it's not uncommon to get flooded. The nomads move in during the summer, to get away from the worst of the heat. Leaders here in Yuuki are determined by how loud you are, or how bad you beat up your competitor."

"Typical Arago-baka," Ryo spat.

Nasutei ahemed and continued. "Obviously, a nomadic life in this desert doesn't produce much, so it's not uncommon for the different bands to raid each other for whatever they have. That's why we're traveling by day, because the raids usually happen during the day while the nomads are asleep. Traveling can be tricky, so if you're not a nomad, you tend to stay put."

"It sounds very dangerous," Shin said. Another cool breeze drifted down, followed by Touma. He landed almost gracefully onto his saddle and took the reins.

"Not really," Nasutei said. "It's really very quiet for the most part, and after growing up here, you learn when and how to travel, making life very easy."

"I see," Shin said, not sure whether to believe her or not.

"What about you?" she asked. "What is life in the west like?"

"Eh," Touma replied. "It depends on where you're talking about."

"Yeah," Shuu said. "The land there isn't all desert; you have forests up north and plains to the south. The people are a lot nicer -- well except for Yang Shi, but they're nomadic, too. I guess it's a custom or something. Anyway, people have a lot more there, so stealing isn't as necessary or as blatant. The thing to have in the west is usually power. If you don't have friends in high places, or if you aren't in a high place yourself, you can't do all that much."

"There are a lot of temples," Shin continued. "Most people have Kaosu-sama in their homes and follow his teachings. The people are much nicer and more giving."

"That again depends on where you are," Seiji interjected. "The Korin Forest is not as giving as we should be, and Sthiss is far from nice."

"It's all one big mix," Ryo summed up, still walking by Nasutei's horse. "There's a little bit of everything to keep your interest."

"I see." Nasutei paused, her face far away for a moment. "If everything is so different there, then do any of you remember meeting Ryo?"

"Yes, we all do," Shin answered.

"Badamon too, I suppose."

Shin, Touma, and Shuu face faulted. Seiji would have face faulted, except that would have aggravated his sunburns.

"We met Badamon too?" Touma called up from the sand dune he had landed in.

"But I though we met Ryo and the Masho met Badamon!" Shuu exclaimed.

"I completely forgot about that," Ryo said, sending everyone back into the sand. "I wanted to tell you when we got into my master's Keep; but things kept distracting me. No, all eight of you have met both Badamon and I. Do you remember?"

Shin paused, thinking back. A memory edged around his mind until it suddenly rammed the forefront of his thoughts. "That was him?!" he exclaimed.

"Who?" Nasutei asked.

"During my apprenticeship, before I became a full monk-sir, I was put in charge of looking after and tending to a Sthissian priest. He had concluded his term and was retiring from the blues. He was rude, insulting, and did everything shy of accusing me that I was weak, that monks needed to be fighters and watch their backs. I was appalled at him." Shin huffed as he relived the memory. "He had a bluish skin tone. I thought it was because of the climate in Sthiss."

"Blue skin?" Shuu asked; his eyes far away. "I met a guy with blue skin once. Before I became a mercenary, I'd won a lot of the winter competitions. Luga has to pass time somehow during the long winters, and we have a lot of athletic competitions. I was fast becoming a champ. After winning, oh, I think it was the white medal in fighting; this guy with blue skin came and pulled me aside. He asked if I was such a great fighter, then what my purpose for fighting was. What reason did I have to keep me going? Really put a mind job on me, that guy. After that I left the competition and joined the local mercenary training camp. It was during the training that I figured out how I was going to be a good merc."

"There was a guy that snuck me out of the castle once," Touma said. "He showed me the slums of Tou Hashiba and told me that it was the price the kings pay for being king. Scared me so much that I ran away for the first time. Blue bastard," he spat.

"He drew a blade on my people," Seiji said; suddenly straightening as he remembered. "He posed as a lost human. He had such hatred when he saw us; he drew his sword and fought. He injured my father. My grandfather used it as a lesson; a Korin must approach a human slowly before leading them out of the forest."

"I reiterate," Touma said hotly. "Blue bastard."

Nasutei sighed, "That's just the way he is. He shows you the down side of things that you can hope for the light side. He'll become a demon if it will get you to see what he wants."

"But look at the good that does!" Ryo said below Nasutei. "Look at what he's done in order to get us to 'see'! Touma is petrified of the throne, Seiji's father was hurt, Rajura's and Anubisu's families are dead! He killed people to 'get people to see'!"

"He didn't kill them," Nasutei defended.

"He may not have put the noose around their necks, he may not have used a blade, but he's just as responsible for those who did! They all suffered because of him!"

"Which makes them able to see Arago-san's point of view!" Nasutei shouted over Ryo's voice. Shin wondered how they had the energy to fight in such heat. "You don't like it, Ryo, neither do I. I'm not condoning his actions in the slightest. But I can't make that kind of judgment. He did what he had to in order to prepare them, the same way you did everything you had to. It's all part of the game."

"But this is so much more than some stupid game my master plays," Ryo said hotly. "People's lives are affected by this. People DIED because of this! It could have been prevented! It -- "

Nasutei narrowed her eyes and glared at Ryo. Her words were even and pronounced. "You. Can't. Control. That. Arago-san and Badamon are not Kaosu-san and you. They. Are. Not. You. You can't expect them to act exactly as you do. You don't want them to act exactly as you do, because then this world wouldn't be in existence in the first place. Arago-san would never have challenged Kaosu-san if they were exactly the same. This entire war with the gods wouldn't be happening if they were exactly the same. We would not be here if they were exactly the same. It's ugly, it's brutal, but it's the way they are. We're here to determine whether they'll have an influence on this world, whether YOU'LL have an influence on this world. They," Nasutei jabbed her finger at the other four, "have to see both sides of the equation."

Ryo opened and closed his mouth, trying to reword his point, to get her to see, but Nasutei just glared him down. Finally, the Rekka shifted his form into that of a giant bird, and he flew off, presumably to calm down.

Nasutei watched him fly away and gave a heavy sigh. "I'm trying, Kayura-sama. But he is so stubborn," she murmured. Slowly she turned to the other four. "Come on, we still have a long way to go before we can stop."

* * *

Anubisu felt significantly cooler now that he was a few hundred feet above the desert. Naaza shivered next to him, and the dark elf felt guilty that he was feeling so much better.

They had traveled through the night and into the day in order to get to the mountains before the nomads found them, and now they had set up a small camp under a clump of bare trees. It was midafternoon, and they would rest.

Anubisu stood, stretching his legs and moved away from camp. He needed some alone time, and he had not had much of it since leaving Sthiss. He walked several feet away, out from the shade of the trees, and drew his sword. Within minutes he was deep into his katas, and he felt his internal chi relax and cool. The Yami whispered his maho phrase, and cloaked himself in his darkness, letting himself cool even further, becoming one with the snow higher up on the mountain, with the frigid air of the heights.

How long he remained like that, he did not know, but when he finished, he felt much, much better. Exiting his final kata, he released his magic and sat down on the hard earth, breathing slowly and deeply. The crisp air filled his lungs and he expanded with them, his senses becoming sharper, his mind becoming clearer.

Shuten was approaching him from behind; not a clever move. Anubisu debated about knocking the Kitsune down, but decided against it. He let him approach.

"Anubisu," Shuten said softly. "I do not wish to interrupt, but I want to talk with you."

"Then do not come at me from behind," Anubisu said. He turned around, but remained seated. Shuten hesitantly sat down as well, obviously not comfortable on sitting on the hard earth. It was not long before he was squirming. Anubisu did not move. If Shuten was so desperate as to speak with him, then he would have to endure the discomfort.

"I want to clear the air with Naaza," Shuten dove right into the point. "I have. . . not treated the Doko well. I have not realized it until recently. It is. . . something I must work on."

"To further your own goals," Anubisu accused.

"On some levels, yes," Shuten answered after a short pause. "I do not believe we can defeat the Troopers unless we work as a team, and we cannot be a team if certain members are distrustful of others. But," he added quickly, heading off Anubisu's retort. "on some levels this is a sincere wish. Despite what you may think of me, I do know what it is like to be outcast. It is something I would not wish on anyone, and I have unknowingly done this to Naaza. I want to make up for that."

Anubisu took this in, sizing up Shuten. "To ease your conscience."

"Well, yes, but also to right a wrong."

"Again to ease your conscience," Anubisu repeated. "All things you do are to either ease your conscience or to make yourself better than us. You go on and on about the need to work as a team, because it is a logical deduction based on your University education that must be obvious to everyone around you. To further this goal you want to get along with Naaza. You also want to get along with him to ease your guilty conscience. You may know what it is like to be an outcast, but you do not know what it is like to LIVE it; and that is your fatal mistake."

Shuten looked hurt at the harsh words, not expecting such venom from Anubisu. The Yami elf knew this. He also knew that he had to be harsh in order to the Kitsune to hear his words. It was only when one was talking down to Shuten that he listened. It was something that he had observed between him and Rajura. He pressed on.

"You ran away when you were marked as an Oni. You do not know what it is like to walk down a street and have people openly shun you, to turn away when you look at them, to ignore you when you try to speak to them. To pretend that you do not exist. You do now know what it is like to be beaten because of the shame you carry, to be mistrusted because of it. You ran away from it, just to benefit yourself."

"I paid my own price for that," Shuten said darkly, glaring at Anubisu. "When I was safe, I spent many weeks soaked in liquor."

"Which is again another escape. You never dealt with your problems. Your refusal to deal with them has made the rift between you and Naaza. It is you who has made this problem."

"And I am trying to fix it now!" Shuten all but shouted. Naaza looked over, catching Anubisu's eye. The snake wanted to come over, but the dark elf shook his head ever so slightly. Not now. Not yet.

"Are you sincere in that?" Anubisu asked.

"YES!" the Kitsune cried out in frustration.

Anubisu stared at him for a long time. Shuten, braggart and aristocrat that he was, was not one to lie. Especially lately. If anything, he had tried very hard to become close to Anubisu and Rajura. He kept his distance from Naaza, but it was obvious that he was trying to make things work. Anubisu looked to himself. He also had personal reasons for winning this fight. He supposed that everything he did was to reach that personal goal. He made deliberate moves for his own personal gain, had been doing so since he had left the Yami forest. And yet, certain movements he had made were not out of personal gain. Much of what he did for Naaza, his friend, was not out of personal gain, but the gain of Naaza, or both of them. He supposed Shuten could be doing the same thing. But then he could not.

Anubisu weighed it all in his head, and finally sighed.

"For reasons beyond me, I believe you."

Shuten looked very relieved and leaned back slightly, still constantly shifting his weight on the hard earth.

"You must first work through your own problems that you have run away from. Then try to think about Naaza's problems, and how they are similar to your own. When you realize that, it will be clear how you are to approach him."

Shuten absorbed the information. Many emotions played across the Kitsune's face as he mulled it over and accepted it. Finally, he fixed his gaze to Naaza. "Is that how you were able to approach him? Through seeing how you were similar?"

"No," Anubisu said. "I was simply, there; and so was he."

"It is much like myself and Rajura. We were simply there for each other, berating each other with advice, and somewhere along the way, we have become. . . friends. I have not had a friend like this in years. It scares me."

Anubisu blinked, not expecting to hear such personal information. He found his mouth opened before he even thought. "Opening up to someone after being hurt so greatly is always scary. But then you see how fulfilling it is."

"Yes," Shuten said; a small grin on his face. "It is indeed. I did not think I deserved a close friend, but I have found one, and am making another."

With that, Shuten gave up on sitting and stood. He bowed slightly to Anubisu and walked back to camp, leaving Anubisu confused.

Naaza quickly slithered over. "What was all that about?"

Anubisu blinked. "I think I just gave him advice on how to become friends with you."

Naaza hissed something and rolled his eyes. "Who would be friends with him?"

Anubisu did not answer.

* * *

Shuu looked down to Ryo, who was currently in the form of a camel, leading the packhorses. To say that the Lugan was confused on why Ryo was a camel was an understatement. All he knew for sure was that it had something to do with the hushed argument that Nasutei had with the Rekka the previous night. All four of them had heard it. Nasutei had pulled Ryo away for a conversation that started out silently and ended in harsh whispers. Because of the argument, Shuu and the others felt rather awkward for the day. When Ryo was angry previously, he'd been quiet and appeared to be a spark ready to ignite at any second. For Ryo to simply be in a form that could not communicate with them was different, so Shuu wasn't entirely sure that Ryo's new choice of form didn't have something to do with something else.

"Uh, Nasutei?" he asked, uncertain how to breech what might be a very touchy subject.

"Yes, Shuu?" she replied, no hint of anger in her voice.

"Why is Ryo a camel today?"

"He agreed to."

Shuu glanced over at Ryo's hairy form.

"But _why_?"

"Because he can't communicate," Touma answered, making everyone turn to him.

"Run that by me again," Shuu requested. "That doesn't exactly make sense to me."

"In a different form, Ryo can't speak with us," the prince explained, "and since animals think differently than us, we can't speak in our mental communication either."

Shuu let out an exasperated sigh. "I know that Touma, I want to know _why_ he won't communicate with us."

"Oh," Touma replied, embarrassed.

"Because he does not wish to influence us," Seiji offered, his skin finally healing from his burns. Nasutei's cream certainly seemed to be helping.

"What makes you say that," she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"When we were in Luga," Seiji hesitated briefly. "When we first arrived in Luga, all of us were in a very bad state." He did not elaborate. "I was meditating on particular matters that had happened in Suiss when I was pulled out of my meditation. It was Ryo. He was extremely worried about us. He was concerned that we were following a path that led to Arago-dono's door, but he felt unable to do anything because he could not interfere. He understands that we must ultimately make a choice, and that if we choose Arago-dono, there is nothing he can do about it."

Nasutei raised an eyebrow. "You are four grown men. You can think for yourselves. How could he influence you?" she asked; her face unreadable.

"Because of who he is," Shin replied.

"Oh?"

"Ryo is our close friend. The five of us over the past year have gotten much closer than many of the friends I had from before our first encounter. He can't _not_ influence us. Everything Ryo does has an effect on us, the same way that anything we do has an effect him. Anything I do affects the five of us. We are a unit. While we are still our own individual people, we work together as a team. Not because of some great purpose, even though we have one. We work together because we want to. If we met under different circumstances, I think that we'd still be close friends. This isn't because of a plan or purpose. It's because we want it to be. It's because we believe in one another." Shin paused, looking down, almost embarrassed. "Whatever god we believe in doesn't matter. We have each other. If Arago becomes the god of this world, I think we will still choose to work together. Not because of what Kayura destined us to be, but because we genuinely want to help one another and be friends. Ryo can't help it. He's an integral part of our group."

Shuu glanced sideways to camel form in question and inwardly chuckled. Ryo's head was down and facing away, clearly embarrassed and very shy about such an acute display of affection. "There's also the fact that he loves us too much," he added.

Several eyebrows rose.

"Well isn't it obvious?"

The eyebrows remained raised.

"Look," Shuu continued, "from what you guys have been saying, Ryo's being a camel because he doesn't want to be that big of an influence because of the choice we'll have to make at the end of all this. But the problem is, Ryo hasn't really had anyone other than Kaosu. He's outlived any friend he's ever had and felt the grief for each one. I doubt he's ever been overly close with anyone because of that. But when we came along, he ended up closer to us than he has been with anyone other than Kaosu. He doesn't know how to back away after getting so close. After being friends with us for so long, he loves us as much as we love him. He hasn't had to deal with this in his overly long life. So he's doing the only thing he can think of. He's not communicating. He loves us so much, that he's willing to deprive himself of us in order to do what is probably best for us in the long run."

Shuu looked down to the camel. "Even if we don't agree at all."

Shuu was rather certain that Ryo was blushing through his fur.

Nasutei smiled broadly. "Ryo," she said to the camel. "I see the point you were trying to make last night. You should be very proud of them. They've come a very long way. But I still think that you should remain as a camel for now."

"Pardon?" Shin asked.

"When Ryo and I were arguing last night, it was merely on how to do something. The fundamental point," she stated, "we agreed upon. We are getting very close to the end of the game, and Ryo can't afford to be influencing you more towards Kaosu-san than Arago-san. However, we both had different ideas on how to prevent him from influencing you further. I insisted he take animal form so that he could not communicate with you."

"And Ryo's counterpoint?" Touma asked.

Nasutei smiled. "He was quite adamant that you four were far more understanding that I was giving you credit for. He was correct."

Shuu and the others glanced at each other, then to camel-Ryo, and finally back to Nasutei.

"So that's a good thing?" Shuu asked.

"Yes," Nasutei agreed. "A very good thing. However, I still need to discuss Arago-san and Badamon-san with you over the next few days. You are all currently leaning towards Kaosu-san and have had a taste of Arago-san. However, your views of Arago-san are slightly skewed. I'll need to see if I can adjust that view."

"If you need to fix our view of things, then what about the Masho?" Seiji asked. "Certainly, their view of Kaosu-dono is 'skewed' as well."

"Actually," the young Yagyu replied, "they're not all that far off. And they are unknowingly fixing their misconceptions as they continue to travel together as a unit."

Shuu absorbed that piece of information and raised his eyebrows before filing it away for later thought. "That still doesn't answer my earlier question, though," Shuu observed.

"Oh?"

"Why does Ryo have to be a camel for this?"

Nasutei gave an unreadable smile. "Because Ryo is very loyal to Kaosu-san. While he has stated that the four of you are very perceptive, he still has an influence, even in camel-form. However, as a camel, he can't start arguing with me as I start to explain Arago-san's viewpoints."

"And Ryo agreed to this?" Shin asked, looking to the camel. "Somehow, I don't see Ryo agreeing to take animal form like this very easily. He's very stubborn and would have fought with you a great deal more on the subject."

"He would have," Nasutei smiled. "But Kayura-sama gave him the final word."

Several people ended up in the sand.

"When the blazes was Kayura-sama here last night?" Shuu demanded, spitting out a mouthful of sand.

"Kayura-sama can be very subtle when she wants to be," Nasutei replied enigmatically.


	31. Yuuki 30

Three days later, Touma was still trying to understand what Nasutei was trying very hard to explain about Arago. It wasn't working. From what he could grasp from the conversations they'd been having, Arago's fundamental philosophy revolved around the individual. That was fine, since philosophy classes in college often weighed the benefits of looking over one or the group. However, the way the dark god's method of thought was explained was so alien and foreign for Touma he just couldn't comprehend it. That he couldn't even grasp the simpler strings of Arago's logic frustrated Touma to no end.

Taking a quick gulp of water from his canteen, the Hashiban prince rearranged his thoughts, trying to think of the decisions of one. However, as he processed benefits that would happen to an individual in an abstract sense, he kept returning to how each action would affect others in the surrounding social group and bestow consequences back upon the individual.

Touma sighed. He was raised in Kaosan thinking, and readjusting himself to try and accept Arago's line of thought was proving to be very difficult and frustrating.

Cool. Open flight. Currents of air blowing carefree. Touma blinked, recognizing that his maho, the wind, was trying to cheer him up. Breezes generally tried to envelope him in reassurance when he was perplexed by a problem. It had happened often in Luga, both when he was puzzling the math around the mirrors, and when he pondered the problem of his future and the throne of his home. He silently appreciated the comfort and reassurance, openly accepting it and doing his best to send his thanks back to the blustery element. Touma suspected that the maho of his friends had a subtler connection than he had with the wind, but then, Touma tended to think too much, so his link to his maho was more on an intellectual level.

Carefree flight.

A thought struck Touma. "Nasutei," he asked, interrupting some sort of conversation that she and Shin had been having, "are our elements disposed more towards one god or another?"

The young woman straightened, her eyes wide in surprise. Shin immediately dropped whatever sentence he was forming and Seiji and Shuu turned to look to Touma. Rather embarrassed at the sudden attention, Touma ran a hand through his blue locks.

"That's a rather perceptive question," Nasutei finally replied. "Fire is forever disposed to Kaosu-san, because Ryo follows Kaosu-san. Fire also needs to be wary of resources and temper. Since it is a more temperamental element, fire can fight other fires. This leads to self-destruction, so fire must be able fight for the group, just as Ryo would fight for the group. Stars, by contrast, fall in line with Arago-san, since Badamon is his disciple. Stars shine their own light and aren't bothered by what goes on around them, so they work for themselves.

"The other eight elements, yours and the Masho's, are supposed to be even and ready for a choice like you eight are. However, now that you bring it up, it is plausible for an element to be more disposed to one line of thinking over the other." Nasutei paused, tilting her head in thought. "Water is probably more in the direction of Kaosu, because it supports so much. Poison, by contrast, merely does what it is supposed to do and nothing else. Light follows Kaosu because it aides many things grow, while darkness tries to keep others away and be by itself. Illusions need others in order to be seen, so it is swayed to Kaosu, where earth merely is and doesn't interact with anything, so it swings to Arago."

"Wait a minute," Shuu interjected. "You mean I'm more in line with Arago than Kaosu? Then why am I here and not with the MaSho?"

Camel-Ryo grunted and Nasutei rolled her eyes.

"Ryo-Onii-chan," Nasutei commented, "you said that Shuu was one of the more instinctual ones. Certainly, he must understand this."

Ryo didn't give any reply, merely shaking his fuzzy head.

"Oh, that kind of instincts. That's different than what I thought. He doesn't necessarily interpret things that he understands, correct?"

The camel nodded.

"Huh?" Shuu replied, running a hand through his hair.

"You are connected to your maho, and you both help each other," Nasutei explained patiently. "But what you don't seem to quite understand is that your maho does not control you, nor do you control your maho. It's another team-based environment. Your maho loves you and tries to please you. You enjoy your maho, so you try to have fun with it. It's a reciprocating relationship. So while your maho might, in theory, be swayed to Arago-san's beliefs, it will not force you to follow Arago-san if you do not choose to do so."

"So," Touma interrupted, his eyes bright in understanding, "Shuu is a more balanced person for choice since his maho leans one way, and he leans another? Then Shin and Seiji are more skewed because they _and_ their maho are more inclined to Kaosu."

"One might draw that conclusion," Nasutei replied, "but it is a false conclusion."

Touma deflated. "Why?"

"Because maho is merely one influence. There are others. All those who must choose are not swayed to one line of thought or another. The four of you are slightly off, but the balance for you is there. It merely needs to be brought to your conscious thought. The easiest way to do so is through discussion of Arago-san."

"Conceivably," Seiji interjected, "I could reach this balance through meditation."

"It would be very difficult," Nasutei replied. "I would not recommend it."

"I'm curious," Shin observed, "Is Touma's maho inclined more to Arago or Kaosu-sama?"

Nasutei pondered for a moment. "I think Touma can answer that best."

All eyes turned to the wayward prince. Blinking, Touma sent the question to the wind and awaited a response.

Carefree flight. Play.

Well that was some response. But it did answer the fundamental question he had posed. "I think the winds are more concerned with having fun than concern for the group. In that respect, it leans more towards Arago."

"Then what would Shuten's maho be?" Nasutei asked; a slight grin on her face.

"Probably something to Kaosu's line of thinking, since Kayura seems to love balance."

"Perhaps, but why?"

"Well," Touma's brow furrowed in thought. "His maho, from what I've seen is more energy based. Energy can't really survive without other energy to feed and work with. So it has to think of the group as a whole."

Ryo grunted in his camel form and Nasutei nodded.

"I know, Ryo," she murmured. Turning back to Touma, she asked, "Now what does that tell you about Arago-san?"

Touma nearly fell off his horse into the sand.

"How the curses should I know?" he demanded.

Nasutei sighed and Ryo nudged Touma with an air of disapproval.

"Alright, alright!" Touma conceded. "I'll think about it."

Their female companion nodded thoughtfully. "Out loud, preferably."

Sighing, the wayward prince tried to organize his thought processes enough to try and puzzle out the problem pointed his way. He took another swig from his canteen before starting. "Well, for starters, it would be unusual for Arago to have a 'team' to begin with. His way is all about the individual. So for him, the wielder would have to control the maho completely, not work with it. But that's not the case here."

"You've got a good thought, Touma," Nasutei interrupted, "but come to it later. Why would Arago-san have a maho user that has maho that is swayed to Kaosu-san? Focus on that first."

Touma grumbled something about being back in school before continuing. "Okay," he murmured. "Arago focuses on the individual. One person above all others. Watch out for number one only."

Shin looked over to Touma. "When I was in my apprenticeship, we learned that Arago believes that the only way for one to better oneself is through conflict."

"Conflict?"

Camel-Ryo nodded almost imperceptibly.

Touma smiled.

"I'm guessing that hit something," Shuu commented.

"Arago has followers that have Kaosu-swayed maho because they create conflict. With Shuten and Rajura, and their maho, those two are more likely to come into conflict with Naaza and Anubisu. By contrast, the four Masho don't work as a team, they work as individuals because they follow Arago--"

Ryo grunted in what sounded like disagreement.

"--so since the four of them are constantly competing with one another, they hold true to Arago's ideals."

"That's a good start," Nasutei replied. "Now return to what you were saying before. Arago-san would prefer to have the wielder completely control his maho. Why doesn't he?"

Touma's shoulder's slumped slightly. "Well," he drew out, "if he's not getting what he wants, then more likely than not it has to do with Kayura. If we were to control our maho completely, then more likely than not, what happened at Suiss would have happened to all of Sthiss, and who knows how much farther out. But if the maho were to control us, then we would hardly be the ones to make the choice, so Kayura probably deliberately made the maho and user relationship team based, it was the lesser of three evils."

"You have a very logical mind, Touma," Nasutei said. She ran a hand threw her long locks of hair, readjusting her white cloak. "Now, let me pose another question."

"You like picking on me, don't you?" Touma whined.

"Does this mean that Kayura is disposed one way or another?"

That one hit Touma hard. Could Kayura lean towards one god or another? Was that even possible?

"I got this one," Shuu said lightly. He pulled his roan over to Touma and patted him heartily on the back. "You'll run yourself in circles with that one." He turned to Nasutei. "Obviously, no, Kayura-sama doesn't lean one way or another. She's making this game in such a way that not a bunch of people are hurt through some cataclysmic war or whatever. That's why there are only ten key people involved, you excluded of course," Shuu added quickly. Nasutei nodded and let him continue. "Every decision she made is for the benefit of the world she made and for Kaosu and Arago, imposing rules and boundaries so they won't pull any dirty tricks."

"But, if she does not want this world hurt," Nasutei said, a grin on her face, "then doesn't that mean that she is swayed to Kaosu-san's beliefs?"

Touma had gone swirly eyed, but Shuu laughed it off. "Naw, not at all. That's just her way of doing things. She's allowed to have her own opinion on how to do things; she just can't let those opinions influence her when she declares the winner. That's kind of like you, Nasutei."

The woman laughed lightly. "You are very wise, Shuu."

"You would not know it at first or even fifth glance," Shin commented.

"Hey! What'd you say?" Shuu demanded, pulling his horse back to pace with the monk-sir. "I dare you to say that again!"

"Nasutei-san," Seiji asked. He stopped in the middle of scratching his face, willing his hands away. "Is it possible for Arago-dono to have an ulterior motive?"

Camel-Ryo turned his head sharply to Seiji, and Touma quickly took notice.

"In what way?"

"If his belief, philosophical, ideal system is about personal interest and gain, then surely he has been that way since the beginning of time," Seiji said slowly, working out his thoughts. "A person tries to live according to their beliefs. I assume that the same applies for the three god families. If Arago-dono does everything in terms of what benefits him or what he wants to do, then surely there was a reason as to why he challenged another god, even Kaosu-dono specifically."

Nasutei stared past Seiji, her eyes narrow with thought. The silence dragged out so long that Touma wondered if Seiji was going to get an answer.

"Did you say something wrong?" Shuu asked.

"I do not know," Seiji replied. "Did I present something that Nasutei had not thought of?"

Touma shook his head. "That's unlikely. At least, not with Nasutei. She has an entire lineage of knowledge to pull from, and Kayura probably whispering at her ear."

Shuu laughed, "Hey, if Kayura-sama doesn't know, then it probably will never be known."

Nasutei groaned and put her head in her hands. "I've just been speaking with Kayura-sama."

"Speak of the god," Shin said. Camel-Ryo shook his head.

"The answer to your question is a little complex for us," Nasutei replied. "I have a headache just thinking about it. But it boils down to this: if someone does everything to serve themselves, then what is the logical extension of that thought process?"

Touma gasped. "Power!" he shouted. "If you don't have the power to do what you want, you have to get the power to do what you want. If Arago wants only what's best for him, then he doesn't want anyone breathing down his neck and telling him what to do or slapping his wrist when he's breaking the rules. He'd want to try and be in charge of as much as he can. He'd try to even make a claim as head god."

Shin, Shuu, and Seiji went swirly eyed.

"This is too much to handle," Shin lamented. "Defending one god is enough, now we're defending all the gods in this universe. . . !"

"And it all depends on ten little nobody's that no one's ever heard of?" Shuu swayed visibly on his charger. "I'm starting to feel very small."

Touma ignored the interruptions and continued. "Everything Arago does is to serve one purpose: Benefit himself. He's no different from Kaosu."

Shin sputtered. "No! Kaosu-sama is good, as is Kayura-san! Arago is. . .is. . ."

The prince kept speaking as if Shin hadn't interrupted, his mouth trying in vain to keep up with his mind. "Kaosu would have a group do anything in order to advance the purposes of that one group. Arago would have an individual do anything in order to advance the purposes of that one person. The only difference is that Arago's definition of who to benefit is unchanging: the individual. With Kaosu, the definition of who benefits is the group, but the definition of the group can always be redefined from family, to town, to country, to peoples. From there, for Kaosu, it really is a matter of philosophy and education, which he values highly. For Arago, for a single person to benefit, it isn't philosophy or philanthropy that advances and individual, but cunning and strength."

Nasutei offered a bright smile and Ryo shifted back to his human form.

"It's about time," he grunted. "If you're all quite finished finding your balance, shall we keep moving?"

"Onii-chan," Nasutei admonished, "were you really that unhappy being a camel for four days?"

Ryo gave her a suffering look. "You try being unable to communicate with your best friends for several days."

"But you could talk to me whenever you wanted," she replied sweetly. "Or Kayura-sama. Or Arago-san."

Ryo didn't dignify that with a response.

* * *

"Cho Ryu Ha." Shin refilled the canteens as had become his routine in the dawns before they began moving in the desert heat. Doing so tended to drain him, since the process wasn't easy; which was why he did it after having a good night’s rest. While he ended up tired, it was worth it to have the water nearby during the day. It soothed him through the heavy heat and the long rides. Seiji was also doing better, having finally healed the sunburn and now taking proper care of his fair skin. However, while they were physically adapting to the grueling climate of the desert, they were still mentally reeling from the tsunami that washed through the other day with the revelation that Arago was the same as Kaosu-sama.

Once the canteens were filled, Shin piled them onto the pack horses and then filled a large bucket so that the horses would also be watered for the day. Now drained, he yawned and went to packing up his bedroll, as the others were doing.

"You okay, Shin?" Shuu asked, tying his roll to his saddle.

"Just tired. Making water really drains me."

"Maybe you should hold off tomorrow. You're looking a little more wiped every day."

"Probably should," Shin mumbled in response. Beside him, Shuu suddenly tensed. "Eh?"

"Quiet," Shuu said harshly, making their camp fall into silence. "Gen Ta Sai," he whispered.

_What is it?_ Ryo asked.

_I heard something._

Shin watched Shuu's bright orange spread out into the sands surrounding them, searching.

"Oh blazes!" Shuu shouted. Over a dune came a band of almost forty nomads, all armed with weapons varying from curved swords to bolas, to clubs. "Thieves!"

_No maho!_ Ryo shouted. _If they find out we have maho, and they already know that we're not the maho users under Arago-baka, there'll be curses to pay!_

Shin cursed. His staff was already buckled into his saddle, and he wasn't as good with hand-to-hand as the others were. All their training had been based on having a weapon of some sort and Shin wasn't sure if he could disarm one of the bandits of their longer clubs.

Raising his arms in a block, Shin tried to determine where he was in relation to everyone else. Nasutei had a small club, and was by Seiji. Evidently her notoriety at Castle Yagyu didn't extend to all nomadic tribes, or at least, nobody recognized her. Shin kicked out against another bandit and saw that Touma was already by Shuu, the two fighting back to back. Ryo was by the horses, trying to keep them calm on top of fighting with his Go Retsu Ken. So Shin was by himself. And he was drained from using his maho that morning.

This wasn't good.

Shin gave a roundhouse kick, felling the bandits around him and tried to make it to the saddle where his staff was. It seemed that all the rogues near him had either swords or bolas, nothing long enough for him to work with as a staff. Flipping over a small row of nomadic thieves, Shin landed harder than he intended. He lost his balance and rolled down the dune, losing all orientation of what was going on and who was where.

"Shin!"

In his currently spinning world, Shin noticed that somebody was aiming what looked like a flute of some kind towards him. Didn't Nasutei mention something about the nomads having poisons imported from Sthiss?

Oh dear. At least his maho could fix that.

He couldn't seem to right himself as he rolled down the dune, his sense of balance gone haywire. It took him a minute to realize that he had actually stopped rolling. He got up quickly--a little two quickly--to try and deal with the thieves he was still surrounded by. Sand filled his clothes, and smeared his face, almost entering his eyes, and his sense of being upright was highly compromised.

"Shin!"

"It's a sir!" one of the bandits growled. Of course. He was still in his monk robes. In Yuuki. The country of Arago. He never should have bothered to wake up this morning. It would have saved him from all this grief.

With a flash from an unusually curved sword, Shin stepped backward, barely dodging, and nearly falling from his still off-balance senses. The blade flashed again, and suddenly all Shin could see was red. Was his head bleeding somewhere? Was blood getting into his eyes? Would he loose his sight?

Shin fell backward, a heavy weight on top of him. The next thing Shin saw was the bright pale blue of the sky. Okay, so his sight was fine. Still trying to reorient himself with his turbulent sense of balance, he saw that the red that had so panicked him was actually Ryo, both Go and Retsu swinging.

"Ryo?" Shin whispered, staring in awe as the disciple fought unlike any other time they had seen. His recovering sense of balance was suddenly upturned once more as a pair of large strong hands hoisted him up off the ground. Assuming it was another of the thieves; Shin pulled himself away from the grasp and whirled around to see that the person who had hefted him up was none other than Shuu.

"I thought I was the one connected to sand," the large Lugan stated with a smile, offering Shin's staff.

Shin took it gratefully, caressing the hard wood and glancing down at himself. He was certainly a sight to see, covered in dirt and sand. But his staff was back in his hand, so he was hardly complaining. He also, finally, had a chance to get his topsy-turvy senses back on track.

Twirling the symbol of his priesthood in his hands, gaining his confidence back, despite his tired body and mind, he turned to the remaining would-be thieves and smiled. The remaining nomads were short work, and the others soon joined Shuu, Ryo and Shin at the base of the dune, trailing the horses behind them.

"You okay, Shin?" Touma asked, jogging over to the sandy sir.

Shin bent over, and ran his hands roughly through his hair, letting the sand make a mini-sandstorm to shake most of it loose and let it fall to the ground. "A little dirty, but intact."

"Ryo?"

Everyone turned to Seiji, who was kneeling by said disciple.

"Onii-chan?"

Ryo got up slowly, the red of his shirt blending with the red of blood. Shin thoughts flew back to when the blade flashed and he suddenly saw red.

"You took the hit for me?" he whispered.

"It's nothing," Ryo insisted, already shifting form slightly to repair his shirt.

"I'll be the judge of that," Seiji stated flatly. On one smooth motion, he sliced the back of the shirt open with his sword and inspected the wound. He ripped off a piece of his white cloak and Nasutei tossed a canteen over. Dampening the cloth, Seiji gently cleaned the long wound.

"It is not 'nothing'," he diagnosed. "It is not serious either." With a whisper of his phrase, Seiji ran his hand along the cut, healing it until it was a thin red line. "Your body can heal the rest."

"You're learning," Ryo murmured, repairing his shirt once more. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, once more looking much older than he appeared.

"Ryo?" Touma asked, putting a hand on the disciple's shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Putting on a bright smile, Ryo replied, "You don't need to worry about me. It's not important."

"Ryo," Shin chastised. "We're your friends. Don't shut us out like that."

"Onii-chan?" Nasutei went over and held one of Ryo's arms. "What happened?"

"I swore I'd never do that again."

"Do what?" Shuu asked.

"Lose it."

"Ryo?" Nasutei asked.

"It's been centuries. I thought it would never happen again."

"What is it?" Touma asked.

Ryo didn't reply, merely shifting form to a small cat and climbing up onto one of the pack horses. Nasutei, however, would have none of that and lifted the small gray-striped feline by the scruff of the neck.

"Ryo," she said firmly. "Stop that immediately."

The cat growled in protest as the wound on his back was aggravated, but not reopened due to Seiji's healing.

"Don't give met that either," Nasutei replied coolly.

Ryo hissed and tried to pull himself free from Nasutei's hold.

"Oh honestly." Nasutei dropped the cat, which landed on all four feet and slunk back toward the pack horses. Turning back to them, Nasutei stated irritably, "He's in a mood. My family hasn't seen that particular mood for almost a century, but he's currently deeply submerged in self-loathing mode. Give him a day and if he's not out of it, I'm going to talk to Kayura-sama."

Shin looked to the others and then to Nasutei. "How can you understand him?"

She blinked, straightened, and then blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry about that," she murmured. "Kayura-sama has given my family translations ever since Kenbukyo. I can understand any language, including Ryo's animal speak."

"So," Touma said, "why is Ryo feeling self-loathing?"

"I don't know," Nasutei replied in frustration. "He won't tell me."

* * *

The following morning, Nasutei woke up later than she had intended. The others were already up and having breakfast, and Ryo was back in human form. They were also within eyesight of the mountains. Since the attack the previous morning had brought Shin's exhaustion to light, Nasutei had chosen to make straight for the more hydrated mountain bases. It would take them longer to reach Daasa Laska, but the health of the Chosen had become a concern. They had been adjusting to the desert climate, but Shin could not keep creating water day after day. It would drain him far too much. So in another day they'd reach the start of grasslands, which would help rejuvenate Shin.

Stretching, Nasutei cursed herself briefly for waking up late. She had wanted to talk to the Kaosan disciple before the others had woken up. She was surprised to see Byakuen was laying behind Ryo, having probably arrived some time during the night.

While it had been ten years since she had last seen him, she knew the young-old man very well. A tradition of her family. Since Ryo tended to drop by quite frequently, her various ancestors had gotten to know him very well, passing down their knowledge to the next generation as they always did. That was why she had always been able to read Ryo so well. He'd been analyzed by every ancestor she had since Kenbukyo and each observation hit home. Nasutei knew that Ryo was a very responsible person; going even so far as to take responsibility for things that were out of his control. It was part of his virtuous nature. And as much as she knew Ryo from all the stories that had been handed down, as well as all the insights her grandfather--arguably the wisest member of the family since Kenbukyo--she was not really prepared for how Ryo was reacting to this current situation.

Nasutei leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. One of the things her family had passed down was that while Ryo was an open person, he was also very private, not discussing things that he considered a negative aspect of himself. However, Ryo tended to see various aspects of himself in a negative light, though they were a strength. That was why he was such an example of Kaosu-san's line of thinking. He perpetually was placing others before himself, leaving very little to care for his own well-being. In a more subconscious way, Nasutei observed, that was probably why he visited her family so much. While Kayura-sama didn't remember, and couldn't acknowledge any wrong-doing that Arago-san may have done, she did understand that Ryo had done something far above and beyond his call of duty in order to help her. As her own gift of thanks, she had told Nasutei's family to watch over him. Nasutei's family took care of Ryo when he wouldn't take care of himself. That was why all members of her ancestry had watched over and studied him, in order to better understand him.

They had done the same with Badamon, naturally, who had also visited over the centuries. Of course, Badamon visited far less frequently, but Nasutei still understood Badamon as well as she understood Ryo. Where Ryo put others before himself, Badamon put himself before others. Each the epitome of their gods' beliefs. However, Ryo's belief that Badamon manipulated and told fictions to get people to Arago-san's line of thinking was wrong. Badamon didn't need to tell falsehoods. Badamon was actually more honest than Ryo in a way. Ryo held back until you were ready. Badamon dumped everything on you at once. In that respect, Badamon was more open than Ryo.

However, all of the wisdom that had been handed down through centuries of preparation couldn't really prepare Nasutei for dealing with Ryo or Badamon directly. Being told someone was a particular way was one thing. Actually seeing and participating when someone entered into that particular way of doing things was something very different. Certainly, Nasutei had observed her grandfather handle Ryo when he was entering one of his unusual moods, but Nasutei had never met Badamon, and the times she saw Ryo, she was still too young to truly understand everything that was going on.

She had seen Ryo enter into self-blame as a child, and she had seen Ryo get angry at Badamon as a child. Her grandfather had handled Ryo with the first incident, and her parents had dealt with the second incident. That was how she knew how to deal with Ryo when he first heard of her grandfather's death. However, in all her years of learning from her ancestors' studies, her parent's behavior before they died, and being with her grandfather, she had never heard of the mood that Ryo was currently in. Something had happened to him in his very long past that he had never discussed with her family. That meant that it was intensely personal.

Nasutei sighed. She was running around in circles.

Looking up to the sky, she was surprised that she could still see the stars, despite the very pale purple-blue sky. It was one of the things that her grandfather couldn't understand as she was growing up. Her inexplicable connection to the stars and to fire, the elements of the two disciples. In fact, that was how Kayura-sama had been able to communicate to Ryo that he was supposed to be in an animal form while Nasutei explained a few things to the Chosen. A small fire had just appeared between the two of them while they were arguing and Kayura-sama had made her point. Very loudly, and very clearly. Ryo couldn't argue with her.

Of course, that was probably why Nasutei could see stars right now. Kayura-sama was offering her guidance and communicating with her in a way that Ryo would be unable to sense with his maho and interpret.

_Kayura-sama_, Nasutei sent her thoughts to the stars, knowing they would take her message to her goddess, _what is wrong with Onii-chan? Why is he withdrawing?_

The stars seemed to shift before her eyes and she knew what Kayura-sama was saying. _He broke a promise to himself._

Nasutei sent her confusion to the stars. Certainly, Ryo took things seriously, but this was going a little far, even for him. The moods her ancestors told of his self-loathing didn't usually come across as something this. . .deep. What was wrong?

The stars shifted again, subtle motions combined with vast movements, which Nasutei could read as well as a scroll. _It's not my place to say, but it has to do with a part of himself that he truly despises._

Her confusion increased. Nasutei's understanding of Kaosu-san's beliefs led her to believe that Kaosu would not allow Ryo to dip so low in self-loathing. Kaosu-san loved his followers too dearly. Her family passed down stories of how Kaosu-san often stepped in to try and help Ryo deal with anything that was bothering him. While Nasutei understood that it was Ryo's nature to take blame for things that weren't his fault, the meaning behind the stars' motions indicated that it was something that Ryo had buried very far down. Wouldn't Kaosu-san have intervened to prevent such suffering on Ryo's part?

_A wise observation,_ the stars stated in their shifting, _but this is not a problem that he can deal with. Ryo must do this on his own. Kaosu is unable to help._

But if a god couldn't help Ryo, how could she? She loved her young-old brother dearly, but as a neutral, she was limited in her options of what she could do.

The stars shook with laughter and Nasutei raised an eyebrow. As the stars regained control of their laughter, they moved once more.

_Dear Nasutei-chan_, the stars moved, _you are very much like Ryo-kun and Bada-kun, thinking that it is you yourselves who must do everything._

Nasutei blinked in puzzlement as the stars faded from sight. Turning back to the silent breakfast, she scooted forward, becoming part of the circle, and took a bowl and helped herself to the leftovers of the previous night's stew.

From above, there came a screech and everyone looked up. Touma smiled immediately as his hawk glided down gracefully. However, rather than landing on Touma's shoulder, as was her custom, she instead landed on Ryo's head and started to peck at his unruly black hair.

"Oi!" Ryo shouted, trying to swat the hawk away. "What are you doing?" The graceful bird avoided Ryo's hands and flapped over to land on Byakuen's head. Both bird and tiger looked to each other, communicating in some sort of silent method that neither Nasutei nor the Chosen understood, but Ryo certainly seemed to.

"Oi, oi!" he cried out, his face starting to turn red.

Byakuen growled and Ryo's red face turned redder still. "Byakuen! You don't need to mention that!" A striped tail found Ryo's face. Hawk and tiger continued to "discuss" whatever they were discussing, though Nasutei had a sneaking suspicion that they were talking about Ryo.

"Ano na!"

Looking around the cook fire, Nasutei couldn't help but note that everyone seemed to be smiling as Ryo started to back away from the animals.

"No! You wouldn't!"

Too late. Tiger pounced. Hawk flapped. Soon, Ryo was underneath Byakuen, getting his face washed by the rough tongue, and Touma's hawk preened his hair, removing miniscule particles and trying to place every strand in place.

That did it. Everyone dissolved into laughter. After all the various guffaws and chuckles had eased into more manageable level, Byakuen and the hawk finally let Ryo up from the ground. His face shined and his hair was interspersed with feathers. One look and everyone was once more on the ground laughing while Ryo tried to clean himself off.

"I guess I should be grateful," Ryo muttered. "At least these are the only two around. I'd hate it if I was in the forest when they tried that."

Nasutei got a vicious mental picture in her head of all the animals in a forest taking turns "grooming" Ryo properly and her laughter merely increased.

Seiji was, not surprisingly, the first to regain control of himself and wiped a few stray tears from his eyes. "I take it that this is a frequent occurrence?" he asked, finally stifling his laughter.

Ryo threw an odd look toward to Korin, simply saying, "This isn't as bad as when a clan of monkeys gets their hands, feet, or tails around me."

Seiji gave a quick burst of laughter before controlling himself again, the others also starting to calm down.

Nasutei went to her pack and pulled out a brush. She handed it over to Ryo. "We'll be near a stream by the end of the day. We can all wash up there." Ryo took the brush, his face an embarrassed grimace, and he started to properly address his highly mussed up hair.

"I'm guessing," Ryo commented, "that you all had a good laugh?"

Everyone looked to each other, smiling brightly. A few sputtering chuckles issued forth, but for the most part, they stayed quiet.

Ryo smiled at all of them, though his eyes were still a little sad, and chuckled. "Byakuen has instigated one of those 'grooming' sessions for almost a century."

"Perhaps it's a good thing he did," Touma put forth, his face going serious. "This is the first time we've seen you smile since the thieves attacked yesterday; and it's the first time you've actually spoken to us."

The smiles disappeared and all eyes focused towards Ryo once more.

"What happened yesterday?" Shuu asked.

Ryo let out a very long sigh, his age seeming to come to the foreground of his features again, though his face did not change in appearance. "I lost it," he replied quietly. "I went blind."

"Blind?" Shin asked, Seiji already leaning forward to inspect Ryo's eyes. The disciple batted Seiji's hands away.

"Not that blind," he muttered. "I keep forgetting that phrasing changes over the centuries. The last time it happened to me, it was referred to as 'going blind'." Ryo ran a hand through his hair, a few feathers still falling from it. "I meant that I went into a blind rage."

Nasutei and several others raised their eyebrows. Her ancestors certainly never spoke of this.

"I don't understand," Shuu stated softly.

"I've been in battle an awful lot in my life," Ryo replied. "When I was younger, in my first few centuries, I would once in a while go blind in a battle. When I'm blind, I fight differently."

"I noticed something like that," Shin murmured.

"When I go blind, I become a blood-thirsty monstrous demon. When I get my sensed back, there are usually many people hurt or dead. Nobody deserves to die like that. To die at the end of a rage-filled sword. It's one thing if it's the heat of battle, but to do so blindly and so cruelly. It's just not right." Ryo sighed. "I know I have a bad temper. A partial off-shot of being with fire for so long, in a way. But my temper is very hard to bring forth."

Shuu offered a lopsided grin. "That's a good thing," he stated. "We've been on the receiving end of that temper once. When you get mad, you get cursed mad!"

Ryo gave an embarrassed smile. "Yes, but you can talk to me when I'm like that. When I go blind, there's no reasoning to me. I can't remember anything that happens while I'm blind. I thought I had control over this. It hasn't happened to me since I was about three hundred. But yesterday. . ." Ryo's voice trailed off.

Touma stood up, strode over to the disciple in two great steps, and landed a fist on the raven-haired head. Shaking his hand, he retook his seat.

"T-touma!" Nasutei stammered, utterly astonished.

"Ryo, you said back in Sthiss that when you get into a mood like that you need a large amount of reality batted into you. Last time, you ran yourself into a wall. This time, I'm providing the reality."

Nasutei's eyes widened, shocked at how Ryo diagnosed himself as well as how Touma actually listened to him. It was almost frightening, seeing the Chosen willingly hurt a disciple. Her understanding of how the game was played was that the Chosen could certainly fight each other, but could not actually hurt the disciples.

"Now then," Touma stated from his seat where he offered some tidbits to his hawk. "How have your little rages been triggered?"

Ryo looked down to the cook fire.

"Yesterday," Shin offered in Ryo's silence, "he was trying to protect me. I was rolling down the dune and rather unable to regain my equilibrium. He dove in front of me so that I wouldn't get hurt. That's how he got that gash on his back."

Seiji and Touma nodded to themselves.

"So," Seiji asked. "How did you 'become blind' before?"

Ryo raked a hand through his hair, rubbing a small bump that was forming on his head. "The first time was in the Lugan Mountains. I was returning Kayura-sama to her mountain. It was very difficult traveling with her, since she was, rather," Ryo paused, looking for some sort of word. "I guess 'not there' was the best way to describe her. She didn't even have the concentration to use her godly powers. I actually carried her through a good portion of the mountains since I didn't have Byakuen by that point." The tiger in question gave a soft purr, putting a paw on Ryo's lap.

"One night, some of the soldiers from one of the armies, I don't know which one; found the camp I had made." Ryo curled into his feline companion, rubbing Byakuen's head affectionately. "I don't remember what happened after one of them grabbed at Kayura-sama. . ."

Nasutei's wide eyed widened further. While it was true that Ryo's nature tended to have him put others before himself, but to risk his own life for a god that was not his own. It added many new layers to the fire disciple's very complicated being.

"When I finally snapped out of it," Ryo continued, "I was traveling with Kayura-sama again in the middle of a snowstorm. When the storm let up, I shifted form and went back to where the soldiers had attacked us." The ancient-feeling, young man shuddered. "None of the attackers were left alive."

Shuu cocked his head to one side. "What proof do you have that you were the one who killed them?"

Ryo smiled sadly. "I didn't understand what had happened at the time. It was shortly after that when I returned Kayura-sama to her mountain and my master sent me on to find Kenbukyo to get the Kikoutei Mirror. Once that as finished, I started to get sick. My master said he was surprised I didn't fall ill sooner given all the stress that I had been under. But, it wasn't until much later that I learned that those dead soldiers were my handiwork."

"How did you learn that?" Seiji asked.

"From Sora-Ao."

Both Touma and his hawk ended up in the ground. "The first Tenkuu of Hashiba? The wise Queen of my ancestors? _That_ Sora-Ao?"

Ryo chuckled. "I was studying under Hashiba at the time," he replied.

"And setting up Sora-Ao and her future husband Touta?"

Blushing, Ryo shook his head. "Legend gives me too much credit for that. I introduced them to each other, no more."

Nasutei smiled despite herself. Ryo was too modest sometimes.

"It was shortly after Sora-Ao's marriage to Touta. Since she wasn't human, many of the higher families didn't approve."

Touma offered a lopsided grin. "There were many complaints lodged. Thankfully my ancestor Touta didn't listen."

"He almost didn't have the chance," Ryo explained. "While at the University, I got wind of some of the more radical students discussing how to get into the castle. I got there just in time. Touta was shielding Sora-Ao from the radicals and their bows. When I was able to see again, Sora-Ao told me that I fought like a demon. Looking around, I saw why. My very own students were dead."

Ryo shuddered once more and Byakuen nuzzled his master affectionately.

"I'm seeing a pattern here," Shin murmured. Nasutei silently agreed. What Ryo was failing to see was that his "rages" were caused when someone important to him was being threatened. Ryo's need to put others before himself prevented him from seeing that he was actually doing good. Perhaps not in the best method, but still providing aide, as was a disciple's purpose.

"What did Sora-Ao say exactly," Touma asked, his eyes narrowing.

"She said that I fought unlike anything she had ever seen before."

"And," Shuu prompted.

Ryo blinked. "That's it. Remember, Sora-Ao had seen many fighting styles and was an accomplished archer herself. She knew how to see in fights. So did her husband Touta."

"Ryo," Shin stated, "I have to point out that Sora-Ao-san did not call you a demon by any stretch of the imagination."

"I killed my very own students," the fire disciple countered. "That, in itself, was monstrous."

"You're missing the point," Touma replied flatly. "Look at what causes this 'blindness'."

"Indeed," Seiji agreed. "You go blind in your desire to protect people. That is not something to be ashamed of."

"But at what cost?" Ryo answered. "The soldiers' lives? They fought a war. They didn't deserve to die like that. My students? They were misguided, not evil. Those thieves? They are only following Arago-baka's ways. I may not agree with Arago-baka's methods, but I can't condemn someone because they think differently than me."

Nasutei shook her head. Kaosu-san's ultimate beliefs were personified in Ryo, but they were getting in his way. If only her family had noticed this earlier on. They might have been able to do something about this. Her Onii-chan could be his own worst enemy sometimes.

"Ryo," offered Shuu, a large smile on his face. "You do realize, don't you, that those thieves yesterday are still alive and well?"

Blinking, Ryo looked up, shocked. "But. . .I was. . ."

"Indeed you were," Seiji agreed. "You were 'blind', and you fought unlike anything we have seen from you before."

"Not that we've ever really see you fight," Shuu added.

"But nobody died yesterday," Shin finished.

"The records of that attack on Sora-Ao make no mention of you," Touma offered. "Only that there was a battle and that the soldiers ended up killing a few of the protesters by accident."

"And the soldiers who attacked Kayura-sama could have been killed by anyone," Shuu finished.

_Exactly,_ the stars above shifted.

Byakuen growled and Ryo's face darkened. "That explains why my master could never help me in this."

Everyone around the cook fire blinked.

"Eh?"

Ryo swore a colorful streak.

"Arago-baka was manipulating me!"

Nasutei immediately looked to the stars.

_Kayura-sama?_

The stars shifted swiftly, Nasutei interpreting them like they were spoken words. _Yes, Arago has been exaggerating Ryo's natural guilty feeling over the centuries. Kaosu has also tried to work with Badamon, though he was not quite so subtle. That's hardly any solace for Ryo, though._

Nasutei turned back to the fire disciple, who was letting out a long sigh.

"Ryo?" Seiji ventured. "Are you alright?"

"My master just informed me that Arago-baka was toying with me."

"So we guessed," Shin murmured.

"I know that it's all part of the game. I understand that my master has also probably tried to make Badamon see. But. . ."

Nasutei got up and walked over to Ryo, towering above, her temper fueling her own fire. As Touma before her, she hit Ryo. She placed her hands on her hips and stared down to Ryo. The cook fire sparked with her anger. He was not looking at things in perspective. As a disciple, he had to be better than that.

Ryo withered before her anger, the cook fire shrinking with him. He had wasted so much energy on blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault.

The fire intensified behind Nasutei. Self-pity and self-loathing wouldn't get them to the Yami Daasa Laska, nor would it help prepare the four Chosen around them.

Ryo shrank further into Byakuen. The fire pleaded briefly. But. . .

"Onii-chan," she stated.

"Ah," Ryo mumbled. "Shall we be on our way then? I'd like to get to that stream and clean up. I'm sure Shin would enjoy the chance to recharge and wash some of the sand out of his clothes rather than creating water. . ."

"Ahm, true," Shin replied, looking back and forth between the descendant of Kenbukyo and the downright cowering disciple of Kaosu.


	32. Yuuki 31

Naaza cracked his neck and wrapped his blanket tighter around him. The further north they headed, the more keenly he felt the cold. They were in the last months of winter, and Anubisu soberly informed them that this was when the Yami Forest was at its coldest.

Wonderful.

The four of them stood before the River of Judgment, an odd name for a river in Naaza's mind, and he looked at it wearily. The water that could be seen was a steely grey and the rest of it was covered in snow frosted ice. Anubisu pulled out his sword and tested the ice. It broke under its pressure.

"We cannot walk across it," Anubisu stated. "It is too thin."

"We noticed," Rajura retorted. He stared off across the river, to some unknown destination.

Naaza crouched down by Anubisu as Shuten tended to the horses. "Will you be alright?" he asked in a low voice.

"I swore I'd never come back," he whispered. "I am still dishonored to the Yami. I will not be treated well when we arrive."

"Then we will kill whoever does not show you the utmost respect," Naaza said easily, pulling out one of his own swords.

"That will be hard if we cannot ford the river," Shuten said carefully as he approached. Naaza noticed, not for the first time, that Shuten was on is best behavior around the Doko. He wondered what the gambler was up to. "How do we cut the cards?" he asked.

Anubisu stood, still glaring across the river. Naaza pulled his worried gaze away from his friend and looked around. He spied that the pines of the Yuuki forest also grew across on their side of the river. "Can the horses ford it?" he asked Anubisu.

"They can," the dark elf answered after some thought. "If they are dried off and warmed immediately after crossing."

"There are some trees over there. Can we use them?"

"Pine is not the best material to ford a river," Shuten said thoughtfully. He glanced at Naaza quickly before hastily adding, "But it is worth a try." There he went being nice again. Naaza did not trust the Kitsune at all.

"Or," said a new voice. "You could bother to pay attention."

The four of them turned around in shock to see the blue skinned Badamon lazily strewn about a small ferry. They all gaped at him and his luxurious furs.

"What the cursed forsaken blazen ashes are YOU doing here??" Rajura shouted.

"What does it look like, idiot?" Badamon said patiently, speaking as though to a child. "I'm here to make sure you get to the Yami Daasa Laska and not completely screw up, as you all seem to have a very heavy habit of doing."

Anubisu glared at Badamon; Naaza noticed it was with a rare set of hate-filled eyes. "You," he whispered. "YOU!" He drew his sword faster than Naaza had ever seen and swung it wildly at the blue skinned priest of Arago. "YOU!!" he shouted again.

Badamon raised his finger in boredom and said, "Ran Sei Zan."

Anubisu froze in mid leap, his face an ugly contortion of hate, and suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood before falling back to the ground. Naaza was instantly by his side, two swords drawn. Shuten had his kusari-gama and Rajura had pulled out a pair of nunchuku.

"What the blazes just happened??" Rajura demanded.

"What did you do to him?" Shuten added.

"It was him," Anubisu said hoarsely. His voice was so quiet only Naaza heard it. "He was the one who told the elder to banish us." He spit up more blood as he struggled to his feet.

"You finally remember," Badamon sighed. "You four are so slow; I don't know why my master puts up with you. You have no concept of anything."

"How can we," Shuten shouted, "if you refuse to tell us anything?"

"You are supposed to find out for yourselves, of course. Haven't you even figured that out?" Badamon drawled.

"Very well," Badamon said stiffly, getting up from his ferry and stepping lightly onto the slushy earth. "Let us judge you, then, shall we? After all, we are at the River of Judgment. My master would not have named it otherwise."

Naaza said nothing, only glared as he helped Anubisu to his feet. The dark elf held his own, gripping his sword as though his life depended on it.

"Now then, who shall we start with?" Badamon stepped among them, looking down his nose as them with a look of utter disgust. "How about you, Rajura You have been awfully quiet. What do you remember of me and that idealistic moron Sanada Ryo?"

"You were both there when my family was cruelly, unfairly, and happily hung," Rajura said softly.

"Yes," the blue skinned priest of Arago answered. "And why are you going to the Yami Forest?"

"I am going because that is where the Troopers, Ryo and his wishy washy heartfelt followers, will expect us. I will be there to take the eye of a Lugan mercenary who everyone dares to think he is a just and fair warrior. I will prove the world wrong, and show them that he is no better than the rest of us."

"You want to prove that you are right."

"Yes."

"And you, Naaza," Badamon said, smiling lazily as he stared down at him. "Where have you met Sanada and myself?"

"Ryo treated me to a dinner," Naaza replied slowly. "And you. . ." Naaza narrowed his beady eyes. The blue skin suddenly seemed very familiar; something about his boney hands. . . The memory suddenly jarred him, as he realized where he had seen Badamon in his childhood. After a few years of begging, Naaza had finally managed to talk his way into one of the gangs of revolutionaries. Mistrusted as a Doko, he was given the lowly task of guarding the back door, all by himself. Badamon had used his magic to show up in the middle of the night without detection and beat him, sneaking in and killing the head of the faction. "You were the reason I had to leave Sthiss," he churned out. Naaza was blamed for the murder and a large price was placed on his head. Much like Shuten, now that he thought about it. How dare the Kitsune be anything like him!

"At last you see," Badamon sneered. "And what do you think was your greatest - almost - accomplishment at Sthiss?"

That was easy, and Naaza smiled at the thought. "I've completely leveled Suiss, killed all the factions responsible for my isolation and the sir responsible for my birth."

"Shuten," Badamon said, turning to the gambler. "Where do you remember we disciples?"

"You turned over my father to the king for slaughter," Shuten spat, gripping the scythe half of his kusari-gama. "Ryo gave me the money to leave the country."

"Very good. And what is your ultimate goal?"

Shuten was silent for a long moment, a heavy glare set on his face, making his expression unreadable. "To kill the king for making me an Oni, to kill you for turning me over, and to learn what my destiny is in this war game that we seem to be playing."

Badamon nodded. He turned finally to the dark elf, Anubisu. The dark elf was still gripping his sword, searching for enough strength to drive it through the blue skinned man's throat.

"Where to you remember us?" he asked.

"You killed my family. You placed dishonor on us, killed my sister on the first winter, drove my father to the bottle, and took away my mother's mind. You ruined my life," he spat. "It's all your fault."

"And Sanada Ryo?"

"He treated my wounds and tried to heal half of my scar."

Badamon suddenly smiled coyly. "And how do you feel about going back to the place you were dishonored? To Yami Daasa Laska?"

Like Shuten, there was a long pause. The hatred and anger flared on Anubisu's face, and he struggled to gain enough control of himself to think clearly. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

"It is an opportunity," he said finally, opening his eyes.

"For what?" Badamon pressed.

"That is not your concern," he said lowly, a wolfish grin suddenly splashing across his face.

"Very well," Badamon said. He dramatically threw his furs back and stepped back onto the ferry. "As slow, stubborn, stupid, and simple as you are, you have passed. I will lead you to the Yami Daasa Laska and wait with you until your precious Troopers arrive. Then the endgame will begin."

Endgame? Naaza was not familiar with the term. Anubisu grunted and sheathed his sword. "Let's go," he said in a low voice.

"He knows something we don't," Naaza whispered, even as Rajura unsaddled the horses. The ferry was too small for them.

"It is an opportunity," Anubisu said. "It's an opportunity to learn what's going on."

Naaza thought about that, and then smiled. "You're right, it is. Come on." The pair easily climbed onto the ferry. It was not long until they were all waiting for Shuten. He remained on the shore, however, deep in thought.

"What?" Badamon finally asked, a brief moment of impatience showing.

"You killed my family, Rajura's, and Anubisu's. How can we trust you?"

Badamon only smiled. "How can you trust anyone outside of yourselves?" he asked.

The four looked at each other, somehow silently agreeing not to reply.

* * *

Anubisu, in his smallclothes, sat at the bow of the ferry that night. The frigid temperatures of the night had penetrated him as soon as he shed his layers; exactly as he wanted. He needed to connect to the cold, to the night. The sky was clear, and the stars were bright, the crescent moon providing just enough light for him to find his way around the small ferry without tripping over someone.

Crossing his legs, he took the latest of many, many deep cleansing breaths. He could not deal with recent events, leading him to come as close to his element as he could and seeking it's comfort.

He was headed to a place that he had thought he would never have to return to. When the absurd idea was first ordered of him, he had thought that he could handle it, that he had moved on from the rage and the indignation. The farther north he had journeyed, however, the more he realized that he was not ready for this. He could not face the elders of the dark elves without killing them on sight.

Reaching out for another thing to cling to, Anubisu tried to console himself with the knowledge of his future encounter with the Korin, Date Seiji. But he could find little to be thankful of. When he tried to think of the benefits, he would again and again replay his first and only battle with him in Sthiss. He would think of how Seiji had explained the Korin honor system previously, of how close that system was to his own Yami system. He would think of how Korin Seiji had politely introduced himself, just as he had, of the words he had said before plunging him into darkness. Most of all he would think of his inability to kick the Korin when he was down.

Finding only further frustration in this line of thinking, he tried to find something else to justify his mission to Daasa Laska. Naaza would be facing his nemesis Shin in the coming battle. But even that could not bring him any good thoughts. His observations of the sir indicated that the battle between him and the Doko would fare very differently than it did in Sthiss. Anubisu suspected that Naaza's next battle would prove to be very difficult because of what the sir would, or more likely would not, do.

Growling in frustration, Anubisu changed his train of thought again. If there was no benefit in the coming battle, then surely there must be some benefit in this horridly painful excursion. He had told Naaza that this was an opportunity, to learn about their roles and the game and the endgame that Badamon talked about constantly since their embarkation. It made spending time with Badamon worth the continual degradation and belittling, but Daasa Laska? He would have to face the elders.

His thought reaching full circle, Anubisu sighed and tuned instead to his body. It had long ago gone numb to the cold, but there were no signs of frost bite. Anubisu was one with winter, the offshoot of darkness, but he was not one with weather. Bitter wind chills or thick snowfall could still do damage to his body, however reduced it might be. Sitting in his smallclothes in the dead of night was a double edged sword. Sit long enough, and he would become one with the winter; sit too long, and he would hurt himself. It was much like his memories. Dwell on them a little, and he would resolve some part of his anger; dwell on them too long, and he would lose his self-control.

"Anubisu?"

The dark elf looked up to see Shuten wrapped in a thick overcoat and chattering his teeth.

"What?"

"How can you stand this cold with nothing on?"

"You forget my maho," he said. He quickly grabbed his cloak and threw it around his shoulders. He was completely numb. "What do you want?"

"Naaza is shivering really badly, even with that blanket of his. I'm already using all of my blankets and cloaks for myself and Rajura. If you don't feel the cold as much as us or even Naaza; do you think you could give him something to help him?"

Anubisu raised an eyebrow. An honest concern for the Doko? He did not question, however, and stood, quickly fixing his cloak as he did so. Going to his pack, he pulled out a cloak with a wolf-fur inline, used only in the farthest northern reaches of the Yami Forest.

"Here," he said.

"Thank you," Shuten said. He paused, looking at the dark elf. "Is there anything you need?"

Anubisu raised another eyebrow. "No," he said after a moment's thoughts. ". . . Thank you for asking."

Shuten nodded. "I know this is as hard for you as it was for me to return to Hashiba. Maybe even more. If you need to talk to someone, I'm here." With that, the redheaded Kitsune disappeared below decks.

Anubisu sat back down at the bow of the ship, considering Shuten's words. The gambler would also have a difficult fight ahead of him. If the battle in Sthiss was not any indication, the fact that the Hashiban prince was cleverer than anyone he had seen. Rajura, too, had a challenging fight in front of him. Rei Fuan may not have been the sharpest sword in the armory, but his maho was easily the most dangerous and most wide covering. All of their battles would be difficult.

A sudden realization hit him. He was a dishonored elf, as was Korin Seiji. Shuten was an Oni, someone who was shamed, dishonored. Naaza by his very birth was considered dishonored, as was Rajura by right of his Gen clan. The monk-sir, via the vicious rumors they had spread, was believed to be dishonored, and the prince Touma because he was feared the throne and ran away. And finally, the Lugan mercenary attacked his friends, and no doubt considered himself dishonored. They were all the same.

Anubisu let out a sharp gasp of surprise. They were the same. They were all dishonored. Did that mean there were other things about them that were the same?

Up until now, Anubisu had always thought that they were bitter enemies, so completely opposite that they would never be able to do anything politer than kill each other were they to meet and try to talk. But if they had common ground, if there was something that held true to all of them, then what did that mean? If they could be categorized together, Sanada Ryo excluded; then did that not mean something? Kayura-dono, whatever her role was in regards to this war game, clearly was the deciding factor in this battle, she would surely choose between one side and the other. But what would happen if the two sides were the same? Was that even possible?

The black and white certainty that he had had suddenly turned very grey. The world turned very uncertain.

A new resolve spun around Anubisu's spine, and he straightened with determination. If the eight of them had more than just dishonor to link them, then the eight of them would be the same. If that was the case, then that put this war in an entirely different light. He may not know his footing, he may not know what side he was on, he may not know how to fight, but he would fight, and fight to the best of his abilities. He would prove whoever was judging him and watching him that he was a warrior worthy of honor.

That thought made him smile, and he looked upstream to where the Yami Daasa Laska was located. Facing those halfwit elders suddenly seemed much more bearable, because by the time he was through, he would have the honor and respect of gods.

* * *

The temperatures dropped forty degrees when they entered the mountains. Significantly more comfortable, and trying very hard to move away from their more recent revelations, Ryo and his four laughed and joked heartily. When they headed north and the temperature dropped another twenty degrees, they pulled out their cloaks and continued doggedly to talk only of light things.

Nasutei allowed them the luxury, knowing that everything would be coming to a head in a very short amount of time. They were only a few days travel from the River of Judgment, and after that, four days to the Yami Daasa Laska. In a little over a week, everything would be decided. For Nasutei this was an exciting time. For Ryo, a stressful time; he became more and more uptight, even with the efforts of the others. For the four, it was a time of uncertainty.

Nasutei stood in her stirrups, stretching her legs. The Appalachian horse shook her main and continued on ahead of Ryo and the others. The mountain of Yamchii lay before them, and somewhere in that mountain lay the Kikoutei mirror.

Two hours later, halfway up the mountain, the massive mouth of a cave opened up before them.

"Is this it?" Seiji asked.

"I always thought these kinds of things were at the top of a mountain," Shuu commented. "They always are in fairy tales and stuff."

"This is hardly a fairy tale," Touma lectured. "Though I'll admit there are some certain parallels."

"Oh dear," Shin said. "You've set Touma off on another intellectual tirade."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," the prince said slyly.

Ryo walked up to Nasutei and her horse. "Will you be okay?" he asked.

"I will. I don't know when I'll be out, but when I get the mirror, you'll know."

"Okay," Ryo said. "Not that it means much, but if you need me, just give me a call."

Nasutei smiled. "Still looking out for everyone but yourself. Don't worry, Onii-chan. I'll keep that in mind." Nasutei dismounted and pulled off her white cloak.

"When do we go in?" Shuu asked, dismounting his red roan.

"We don't," Nasutei said. "I do, and now." Four chosen gaped at her. She only smiled devilishly. "I'll let Ryo explain."

"Huh? Wait! Tei-chan! Don't - !"

The redhead tuned him out, however, as he sputtered his protests. She entered into the cave at a stiff walk, the light of the day spilling deep into it. The only evidence that this cave was correct was the worn smooth path that she took. She was starting to have her doubts as the last of the light faded when there was a sudden whisper of a breeze that tickled her cheeks.

"Who are you?" a deep, rich voice asked.

Nasutei whirled around. A tall dark man stepped out of the shadows towards her. His short, wild hair was a stark white, even in the pitch blackness of the cave, and his eyes were the same tiger blue as Ryo.

"I am Yagyu Nasutei, descendant of Kenbukyo and Neutral of the endgame. I am here for the Kikoutei mirror." She paused. "May I ask who are you?"

The dark man smiled. "I am the spirit of the Kikoutei. I am here to determine if you are ready."

Nasutei absorbed the information quickly and nodded. "I understand. What do I have to do?"

"Talk to me."

"Talk to you?"

"Yes, my brothers and sister have been with people since their creation. Go and Retsu have been with Rekka no Ryo for as long as they remember. Inochi has been looked after by your family for many generations. I was forgotten about. I am lonely."

"I'm so sorry that happened," Nasutei said sincerely. "I had thought that you, too, were guarded by a family for generations, and that Kayura-sama did not wish me to know. I am very sorry. If I or anyone of my family had known, we would have journeyed here and collected you; you would have been with the Inochi no Madatama and loved by my family."

The blue eyed man smiled. "Thank you for that. How much to do you know as the Neutral?"

"I know much, more than Ryo and Badamon, apparently. They did not know my role, as was expected, and there are some things that they are blind to because of their different allegiances. However, I do not know everything. Clearly, because I did not know the three gifts had spirits in them."

The dark man nodded. "Ryo knows of Go and Retsu, and he tries to treat them well. Badamon knows of Inochi, but he does not fully realize her purpose. We must have purpose and duty to the endgame, but after the game has ended, we wish to do much more than just sit around. We have our own plans."

Nasutei nodded gravely. "Does Kayura-sama know of this?"

"She knows we have plans, she does not know what they are. She does not want to know." The dark man suddenly smiled briefly. "As much as she likes to be in control, she understands that not everyone will stay under her control. So she has decided to give free reign to those of us who wish to be our own control."

Nasutei took it all in, putting certain pieces together. "I understand. I will help you as much as I can."

Something in the tiger blue eyes flicked, and the spirit of the Kikoutei said, "You are very wise. Almost a match for the prince, were he to know all that you do. And you have great heart. I like you."

Nasutei smiled. "I'm glad."

"What do you know of the finality of this game?"

"I know that the eight Chosen will make a choice. That choice will determine whether or not Kaosu-san or Arago-san become the god of this world." Nasutei frowned, thinking for a moment. "I do not know whether or not Kayura-sama will stay with this world or leave to judge another pair of challengers. Personally, I hope that she stays. I am very fond of her."

The Kikoutei spirit reached out and put a dark hand on her shoulder. "You need not worry. She will always be with you, whether she leaves this world or not."

"Thank you," she replied. "I must admit, it has been a hard year. That worry has been eating away behind everything else."

"You love her very much, as you loved your grandfather."

"I do still miss him," Nasutei smiled sadly. "But I am dealing. To know that I will be the one to partake in the end of this game must have made my grandfather very proud of me. He was also able to fulfill the Inonchi no Madatama's worldly task. In turn, that makes me very proud of him."

"Even though it cost him his life?"

"I am not happy that he left me. But I understand the underlying meaning, and I love my grandfather even more because of that. I am grateful to Badamon for letting my grandfather fulfill such an important duty. I am grateful to Ryo for understanding and being there, even if it was a year later."

"You truly are the Neutral in this game. I will let you bring me to Yami Daasa Laska. Only you will carry me. I do not want the five traveling with you to touch me. Like you, I am a Neutral. I was created by the neutral god, and I wish to remain that way until it is time."

"I understand. I will be very careful with you."

"Good. Now I believe someone is here to guide you out."

Nasutei blinked, not sure what he meant until she felt the familiar nuzzle of a certain dark tiger. "Kokueno," she whispered, scratching his ears.

"He has visited me over the centuries, and like his white twin Byakuen, he understands much more than anyone realizes. He will ensure your safety for the rest of your journey."

"Thank you. I hope we become good friends."

The Kikoutei smiled again, a bright white smile that seemed to glow in the darkness. "We will. It will be good to see my brothers Go and Retsu."

"Then let's not delay any further." Nasutei reached out her hand. "Let's go."

The spirit of the Kikoutei took her hand, and the darkness faded. Kokueno purred deep in his throat and stepped toward the dim light that was the mouth of the cave. Nasutei followed, carrying the large mirror carefully at her hip.

Ryo stood there waiting for her, his twin swords drawn. "Go and Retsu have been waiting for a long time," he said softly.

"So has Kikoutei," Nasutei said.

* * *

Rajura sat on the hard earth beside Anubisu. The dark elf seemed unbothered by his Yami brethren around him. In fact he was not above giving a smug smile to the elders, as if he knew something the white haired Yami did not. Shuten and Naaza were nowhere to be found, Badamon had no doubt ferried them away to somewhere for either training or lecture. Rajura did not feel guilty for not being with them.

He sat on the hard earth because, apparently, elves did not believe in chairs or even cushioned mats. Anubisu explained patiently that the four of them needed to show that they were trustworthy, and to do so by remaining in the open and in plain sight at all times, which restricted their movements to the massive clearing in the center of the Yami Daasa Laska.

Badamon did not have such limitations imposed on him, however. He came and went as he pleased; speaking politely to the elders while still managing to show that he was, indeed, superior to him. The elders, to Rajura's surprise, let them. Anubisu had to explain that Badamon was an elder to all because of his age, and as a human obviously did not understand the intricacies of elfin culture. Rajura had scoffed, but nodded and accepted the information. If he was going to be entering this mysterious endgame, then it would be better to have as many who MIGHT back him up as possible. Rajura had been surprised when they had all drawn their weapons on the blue skinned Badamon when he had attacked Anubisu at the River of Judgment. The four of them had never acted in such unison, and without a thought of it, either. Shuten's words resurfaced in his mind, and Rajura was beginning to realize that the four of them, however unconsciously, were taking his ideas to heart.

"Do you know where Naaza and Shuten are?" Anubisu asked very quietly. He looked perfectly at home on the earth, his double lined cloak wrapped loosely around him. Rajura wondered how he could stand the cold.

"No," he replied. He shifted his weight and pulled his woolen cloak tighter around himself. "I expect they are with Badamon."

"That is unlikely," the Yami replied. "Badamon left long before either of them did."

Rajura raised an eyebrow. "How would you know this?"

"I know Daasa Laska," he replied. "I will always know who is here and who isn't."

"And Shuten and Naaza aren't here?"

"No. That worries me."

Rajura nodded. "Me too."

Anubisu cocked an eyebrow, his ear lifting in interest. "Why?"

Rajura paused as he thought. He and Anubisu had never been overly close, not like with Shuten or Naaza. But they were both close to him, and Rajura respected their judgment - much as he would never admit it. He took a chance.

"Shuten and I, against my better judgment, have become friends. Similarly, Naaza and I have become something that passes for friends. I do not want them to get into trouble. Besides," he added quickly, seeing Anubisu's look, "They will be useful in the coming battle."

Anubisu openly smiled; something Rajura was not sure he had ever seen the Yami elf do. At least not sincerely.

"We are very much alike, Gen Rajura," he said. "I did not notice it before. But all four of us are very much alike. In many ways, all eight of us are alike."

"All eight of us? Rajura wondered what Anubisu was talking about. Surely not the Troopers. . . unless. . . Rajura's one eye widened. "You and Naaza think in very strange ways. Helpful, but very strange."

"The same could be said for you and Shuten. We do not complain."

"I see."

"Where are they?" Anubisu asked, more to himself then to Rajura. The white haired Gen was about to offer some comforting words when the two in question suddenly appeared. Rajura and Anubisu stood immediately, Rajura less gracefully because of all his sore spots.

Shuten and Naaza made a beeline towards them, Shuten's face grim and Naaza's suspicious.

"What do you know about this?" Naaza demanded, his eyes blazing.

"About what?"

"About him!" he replied, pointing to the Kitsune.

"You mean that he wants to reconcile?" Rajura asked, seeing Shuten's face.

"Then you did know!" the snake accused. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"How could we?" Anubisu asked gently. "Don't think I didn't try."

Naaza stared him down, and then his eyes widened. He looked to Rajura. "Did you try and tell me?"

"No, I did not think it was my place," the Gen replied, glaring at Shuten. "I did not want to be put in precisely this situation." He noticed that some of the Yami were starting to gather, wondering what the commotion was about. "Can we do this later?" he asked, "We're gathering a crowd."

"No," Naaza said forcefully. "We do this now." He turned to Shuten. "Well?"

Shuten, who had not spoken up until this point, threw a wary gaze at the elves. "This is a private affair," he said slowly. "I had hoped to keep it private. But," he added, seeing Naaza's glare, "I can understand your wanting a public apology." Bending onto his knees, he bowed to Naaza, eliciting some curious murmurs from the Yami. Rajura and Anubisu both ignored them. Naaza stared expectantly, waiting.

"Naaza," Shuten's muffled voice filtered from the ground. "I have not treated you like the equal that you are. I had never realized your abilities and talents, because I was too shortsighted and, frankly, arrogant to notice. I have abused and tormented you in ways I was not and probably still am not aware of. To all of this I can only offer my most profound and sincere apologies. There is no excuse for my behavior, and I can only say that I will strive never to repeat the actions I have done to you. I have since started to see you for you and for the special things about you that makes you an important member of this group. Indeed, were I to meet you outside of Arago-sama, and I were not so narrow-minded as I have been, I believe that I would have grown to like you, and that we could have become friends. As it stands now, I understand if you do not want friendship; I do not expect it. All I will ask for, all I can ask for; is for you to someday forgive me and my stupidity. I am sorry."

There was a long, drawn out pause. Naaza's expression had not changed once during Shuten's apology, and Rajura was not experienced enough to read what Naaza was going to do. Anubisu, too, looked on expectantly. All eyes were on Naaza as he considered Shuten's apology.

"Well," he said finally. "I am clearly the better man for putting up with you. I am also the better man for accepting your apology. Any more from me will come later. Now get off the ground, you're embarrassing me." Naaza pulled his fur lined cloak tighter about him, throwing his snake eyed glare to the Yami. "What are you looking at?" he demanded.

Rajura hid a smile as Anubisu helped Shuten onto his feet and Naaza chased away the elves.

Shuten was smiling, and while the dark elf Anubisu went to talk to Naaza, Rajura slid over to the Kitsune. "Rather pretty words," he said softly.

"I meant every word of them," Shuten replied. "And, somehow, I feel much lighter. Much better. This endgame, whatever it is, is going to go just fine."

Rajura allowed himself to grin. "And, of course, we all bow to your 'arrogant' and 'narrow-minded' wisdom."

Shuten made a face. "You're going to rub this in, aren't you?"

Rajura's grin widened. "Of course. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"


	33. Endgame 32

Ryo took long strides up the hill to the crest and looked down to the River of Judgment. His friends were still riding up the hill, Ryo having gone ahead to scout around. He was glad that they were further down the hill, as it gave him a chance to try and figure out what he was supposed to do.

As he expected, there was a small ferry, just barely large enough to carry all of them across. The problem was if all of them _would_ cross. The river separating the Yami Forest and the deserts of Yuuki was aptly named. Ryo's counterpart Badamon had already judged the other four. It was time for him to judge his four. To see if they were ready. He understood that much, but he hadn't a clue as to how.

Glancing back down the hill, Ryo watched his friends continue up the hill, weaving around the pines that grew sparsely around them. He looked back down to the river and started the walk down to the ferry. Go and Retsu shivered reassuringly on his back, something Ryo was getting used to since they had finally reunited with Kikoutei. The twin swords could actually express themselves better in the presence of their brother. Nasutei had explained that the Kikoutei helped by reflecting the wants of Go and Retsu, allowing them to communicate with Ryo in a way that they had been unable to before. Previously, Ryo was only able to understand the Ken twins only in the most extreme circumstances. Now, as they resonated on his back in their usual manner, he was able to interpret the subtle movements, something he was very grateful to Kikoutei for.

Byakuen and Kokueno were already down at the ferry, awaiting them. Ryo hugged them both tightly, feeling the need to show just how appreciative he was of everything they had given him. With the approaching endgame, he was getting more and more nervous of the results. He had taught all eight the best he could, it was up to them, but he still worried. Byakuen offered one great paw to embrace Ryo in a form of hug, while Kokueno merely growled in a reassuring manner before heading over to Nasutei.

"Thanks," Ryo murmured to the departing black tiger. The twin tigers and twin swords were the only constants he had in his life besides his master, and he was eternally thankful and grateful to both sets of twins. And with everything coming to a head, he needed them immensely for their support.

Byakuen bathed his face briefly before his tail found its way there. Chuckling, Ryo climbed onto the small ferry and helped Nasutei up aboard.

"We'll be leaving the horses here," Ryo stated.

"I've grown rather attached to my horse," Shin replied, dismounting. "Will she be alright here?"

"Yeah," Shuu added. "I could never afford a good charger like this. I don't want to lose him."

Ryo smiled. "They'll be fine. They'll join the horses of the others."

"Others?" Seiji asked, ears twitching.

"The Masho," Touma murmured.

Ryo nodded. "The horses aren't fighting with other horses, so they'll form a nice little herd. I'll be able to find them again. If not me, then Badamon could as well."

"Not you?" repeated Touma in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Ryo sighed. How was he going to judge them? Looking down to them, he continued, "You do understand that this is going to be the end of the game, right?"

"Yes," Shin replied slowly.

"You're going under the assumption that I'll still be around after the finale."

Eyes widened and jaws dropped.

"What?" Seiji demanded.

"If Arago-baka wins and my master is forced to leave this planet, I won't be able to go on without him. Neither will Badamon be around without his master. We are too close with our respective masters. If I lose my master, I will only be a shell of my current self. Even with you four helping me, it's not something I'll be able to fully recover from. It would hurt all of you to see me like that."

"This final play is going to cost a lot, isn't it?" Shuu asked quietly.

"I thought you already understood that. The whole world will stop fighting over my master and Arago-baka. Fighting has its own cost, but so does stopping it. Something has to give. The smallest cost will be the god and disciple leaving; the large cost is how each country will change to follow a line of thinking. If I disappear with my master, that will be inconsequential to what will happen in Hashiba, the Korin Forest, Lillimundrale, and Yang Shi. There is also the question if anything will happen to Luga. There will be a cost."

Touma ran a hand through his blue hair, his hawk shifting her weight as he moved. "We always understood that there will be a cost, Ryo," he replied. "We always understood that. But we never knew what any of the cost would be. Now we know one definite result of this game. It will be losing you or Badamon; Kaosu or Arago." The prince gave a lopsided grin. "That kinda says just how personal this is going to be, as well as on a grander scale."

Ryo smiled in embarrassment. "You give me too much worth."

"In any case," Shuu stated, twirling his staff. "We're just wasting time here. We've got a ferry to board."

"Not quite yet," Nasutei replied from her spot behind Ryo. "This is the River of Judgment for a reason."

"Oh?" Shin asked, his shoulders dropping in dread.

"Ryo-Onii-chan has to judge you. To see if you are ready for the endgame."

All eyes turned to the disciple. He shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "I don't even know how I'm supposed to judge you. . ."

"Let Kayura-sama guide you," Nasutei whispered behind him.

Ryo looked down from the ferry to the four on the shore. Each was very precious to him, and he wasn't sure he could be an unbiased judge. At the same time, the only person who might be better qualified than him to judge was Nasutei, and as a neutral, she couldn't do so. So Ryo wondered how he was going to do this.

Seeing that the disciple of fire was uncertain how to proceed, Byakuen stepped forward, circled the four, and singled out the wayward prince.

Ryo chuckled. "I guess I should start with him," he replied to the white tiger.

Byakuen didn't reply, merely taking his place once more below him.

"Alright," started Ryo. "The five of us have been together for over a year now."

Spreading his mouth into a wide grin, Touma retorted, "A year? That doesn't quite sound right."

"As a matter of fact," Ryo replied, smiling as well, "it's a year to the day."

The four looked at him surprised.

"Touma, you have two important questions to answer. The first: What have you learned in this past year?"

"Lots of things," was the immediate response. Touma's face went thoughtful as his hawk flapped briefly on his shoulder before pecking at his hair affectionately. Ryo leaned onto the rail, waiting patiently.

"I think the single greatest thing I've learned over the past year is perspective. I've made a few comments on how I've been starting to feel very small when we discuss some of the more monumental things that will be happening. Like you just mentioned, when the game is ended and this world finally has a god, things are going to change. When I try and think of it rationally, I say, 'It won't change much. Not many people are all that religious nowadays.' But that's just a rationale for trying to take away the importance of it all. What will change isn't whether people pray to Kaosu or Arago or Kayura. What will change is the outlook people have on life. People who believe in the individual coming first will change drastically to become people who put the group first. People who put the group first will also change drastically to place the individual first. That's not just changing who we worship. Entire cultures will change. There will be upheaval, depending on how Kaosu or Arago try and change countries that didn't follow them.

"That is a rather sobering thought. The fact that this one event will spark all that. Because this is so serious, I have a new perspective on the large scale of things." Touma chuckled, running a hand through his blue locks. "Seeing what kind of effect this has on everything makes my own problems seem rather small and insignificant. I'm still petrified of having the crown because I don't want to hurt my people. I can't shake that. But I also see that my fear of hurting my people is rather small when compared to the fear that I might just hurt the whole world somehow if I do something wrong in this endgame."

Ryo smiled gently. "My master was right. You are very much Chi. Wise."

Touma gave a lopsided grin. "Oh, I don't know. I still think I have a lot to learn."

"Indeed," agreed Ryo. "My second question: How do you feel about what happened in Hashiba?"

"Which part?"

"All of it."

Touma once more put on a thoughtful demeanor while he considered the question. "My first response would be that I'm a little angry. I'm angry that my uncle believed I could gamble. I'm angry that Shuten was able to manipulate things to make us look guilty. I'm angry that I was even dragged back home to begin with. But not everything I feel is anger. I'm also grateful. Grateful that I learned what an Oni is, so that I can better prepare for that cursed time when I become king. Grateful that Shuten gave me an excuse to leave Hashiba once more so that I could travel with you guys. Grateful that I had a chance to really talk with my uncle, because I haven't been able to for a very long time. I'm really mixed on how I feel about Hashiba. On some levels, I wish like blazes that it never happened. On other levels, I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ryo took in Touma's response. It was a good answer with many undercurrents that Ryo could feel from within Touma. Badamon's questions had asked only if the other four were still leaning towards Arago-baka's line of thinking. Ryo's questions were about whether or not they were truly ready. Touma was ready.

"Come aboard," he said.

Touma smiled and boarded the ship. Byakuen stepped forward again, this time separating Seiji from the others.

"Seiji, was your grandfather correct in not blessing your choice to travel with us?"

Seiji's ears twitched as he crossed his arms and considered the question.

"As with Touma, I am divided on how to answer that question. I feel that it was the wrong decision for me. I have known elves that were dishonored, yet allowed to stay in the forest. They were mere husks of what they were rumored to once be. I have felt the shame of being dishonored, though on a much smaller degree since I had all of you to aide me. I would not wish this feeling on anyone. Not even the Yami I must face."

"However?" Ryo prompted.

"However, I think that ultimately what my grandfather did was the right thing, and that he possesses much more wisdom than me. I still have much to learn. My grandfather had more to answer to than just his family. He has the other elders, who aren't the same as him. The elders have been around longer than I've been alive, and have many traditions that they adhere to, understandably so. I made a request to follow you that goes against several traditions, though not all. By dishonoring me, my grandfather satiates the elders who follow tradition. When I return, the elders who would not approve of my path will see that I have done well by them and I will no longer be dishonored."

"I see," replied Ryo. "What have you learned over the past year?"

"That I am different." Seiji's ears twitched once more "I do not think like other elves, nor do I think like a human. My grandfather was correct. He told me many times when I was smaller, that I would make a very good high elder because I thought about things. I did not understand him back then, but I do now. I guess that my method of looking at things and thinking is well ahead of its time. Because of this, I will make a good elder, but it also puts me at odds with the elders currently in place. I will be able to do great things because I have had these experiences over the past year, which has honed my manner of thinking. I understand what the other elders do not. The world is not merely of elves and not-elves. It is made of a great many people that we have an effect on; even if we close ourselves off we still have an effect. We must think of the effects we have on not only ourselves but others before we act."

"Rei, courtesy suits you, Seiji. Come on up."

Seiji boarded and Byakuen singled out Shuu.

The large Lugan gave a large smile. "Judge away, my judge."

Ryo chuckled in return. "What have you learned over this past year?"

"That Kaosu was right back when we were at his Keep."

Ryo raised an eyebrow.

"Want me to elaborate? Okay." Shuu shifted on his feet, leaning onto his staff. "Kaosu said that my heart - Gi - leads me to think of things as either right or wrong. He said that I would hesitate and that I would question. I countered him, saying that I had never hesitated. As it turns out, after what happened to me in Sthiss, I have hesitated. A great deal. I've second guessed myself until your fires burn out to make sure that I'm doing the right thing, that I'm doing my Lugan duty and being just. All the time we were with my family in Luga, I kept reviewing what happened when I was controlled and tried to come to grips with whether or not it made me a bad person that I was fooled so easily."

Touma and Seiji stepped forward on the boat, protests already forming on their lips. Kokueno stepped in front of them, blocking their advances, for which, Ryo was grateful. He concentrated on what Shuu was saying.

"Kaosu said that when things are complicated, I question. I've never had a truly complicated situation before. I guess that was because I drilled only one side of a fight with questions. I'm rather well known in Luga for asking a lot of my employers. They have to be using me and any men I'd command for just purposes. That's my duty as a Lugan. But I only asked my would-be clientele. If I was to be truly just, I'd ask my boss's enemy for his side of the story.

"In that sense, Rajura's right. I am hypocritical. But then, by asking both sides, I'd end up the judge of what was the right thing to do. Cursed if I do; cursed if I don't. It's something I still need to think about. Either way, when I get back to Luga after all this, I'm going to have to change how I do business. I need to remain true to my Gi, but I can't do that anymore with my current method of operation. I have to know both sides, but I'm not necessarily worthy of choosing who's right and who's wrong."

Ryo absorbed what he heard, letting the words burn into him as the others' had. The next question was obvious. "Given what you've told me, you value knowing both sides of an argument. How do you feel about the gods now?"

Shuu's eyes widened, surprised at the question. "You don't ask easy questions, do you?"

Ryo smiled.

Crossing his arms in thought, Shuu looked down towards the muddy shore. "I know and understand both Kaosu's and Arago's reasoning behind their different viewpoints. Both definitely have their pros and cons. Growing up as a Lugan, I wasn't taught one way over the other, so I can look at them without the weight of a culture following one god to bog me down like the rest of you do. But it's really a hard call. Because of who I am, my heart follows duty and justice. Neither Kaosu nor Arago have justice in mind with their ideals, but rather, who should benefit from justice - the group or the individual. I'd have to say, even if Nasutei thinks I'm on even footing with both of them in my heart, my head still says that Kaosu benefits more people."

Ryo nodded.

"Beyond those two, I have a much greater appreciation for what Kayura-sama has to put up with. With those two gods bickering all the time, she has to step in the middle and break it up." Shuu gave a bright smile. "I think she's finally dealing with them in a more permanent fashion is because she's fed up with the two of them acting like children."

Ryo, Nasutei, Byakuen, Kokueno, the Kikoutei, and the Go Retsu Ken all burst out laughing in their own way. Shin, Seiji, and Touma did as well, though they did not know Kayura as Ryo and the others did. Doubled over in guffaws, the Kaosan disciple tried desperately to regain some measure of control over himself and not leave Shin hanging on the shore as Shuu boarded the ferry. Go and Retsu, both humming on his back, didn't help matters much. Finally wiping tears from his eyes, Ryo sat down and leaned against Byakuen, who had joined him at some point in their laughing. His sides were sore from laughing so hard, so Ryo was content to simply lean against the large tiger and look through the ferry's rails to Shin, who was still chuckling in his own right.

When the laughter finally calmed, Ryo asked, "What have you learned since you left the Outlet with us?"

Shin smiled. "That nothing is stable."

Ryo sat up, his sides still tender.

"When we first met at my temple in the Outlet, I firmly believed in Kaosu-sama and the teachings I was taught. I thought that Arago was evil and that through devout prayer to Kaosu-sama or Kayura-sama, Arago would disappear and everyone would be happy and all would be right with the world. I believed that Sthiss was a country where a few bad priest-sirs go and that the rumors were highly exaggerated. No one could be that cruel. While I didn't follow history like a scholar might, I believed that our history was accurate and truthful.

"Since traveling with you, however, I have learned that almost everything I held to be true is actually false. The Fifty Year War was not fought because of political reasons, the teachings I learned were not written by Kaosu-sama, and some were not even in line with his beliefs. Sthiss is a deplorable country in desperate need of help, but is too down trodden and twisted to accept any help because of foolish pride. My stable basis that I lived my life by has been turned upside-down and inside-out. My own interpretations of things - to live life in a kind and giving manner - may have been the correct thing to do, but the reasons behind it were not. If such a firm foundation can be cracked so easily, then nothing is stable in this world."

Shin smiled again, looking up to Ryo and the others. "It's a good thing that nothing is stable. I'm not sure I'd want some of the things I've seen to be able to withstand time. Certainly not Sthiss, and also not the way things are done in many places. Kaosu-sama's philosophy merely examines how people must be. It says nothing about if such methods should be permanent or change over time."

Shin looked to the water, appearing to become one with its depth. "It's something I've been thinking about since we were in Peace, actually. People often talk about the beauty of things, people, philosophies. However, I think that these things are beautiful because there is no permanence. The loveliest sunset by the ocean lasts for only a few hours. The prettiest flower only blooms for a short while. We may be deciding the fate of the world and of our future, but we should still be enjoying life to its fullest in every moment. We never know when the instability of it all will merely take it away."

Ryo nodded. Shin had progressed a great deal from their first meeting in the temple tent. "Do you consider yourself naïve?"

Shin openly laughed. "I was certain you'd ask me about Sthiss."

"I know how you feel about Sthiss," Ryo replied, tapping his head. "It's something you're very vocal about."

Nodding, the monk-sir answered the question. "I was naïve on many levels when we started our journey. Certainly, I knew how to live in the world and that people weren't always acting in the best interest of others. However, what Kaosu-sama said about blind trust was true. My blind trust lay in the stabilities I mentioned before. It was rather painful to see what I trusted so completely be torn to shreds as we journeyed. But I found other things that I could put my trust in implicitly, and I wasn't blind about it."

Ryo raised an eyebrow.

"I could trust the four of you completely. That wasn't blind trust or naïveté either. It was trust that all of you earned every step of the way. In return, I've been so much more rewarded with the trust I have in you, the trust that you earned, rather than the blind trust and all around naïveté that I bore beforehand. Kaosu-sama was correct. Blind trust is a trap. One I paid dearly for in Suiss. But he was also correct that trust is very strong. When it's earned, it can be the most rewarding experience."

"Your mother certainly chose your name wisely, Shin," Ryo replied. In one swift motion, Ryo got up and leaned over, offering the last Chosen a hand to get onto the boat.

"Let's go see how all this finishes."

Shin smiled and took the hand, hauling himself onto the ferry. "I'll steer."

* * *

Crossing the River of Judgment was relatively uneventful, though Ryo started to get a faint headache. Once on the other side, Kokueno and Byakuen rushed off, taking point. They knew it would be a four day journey to the Yami Daasa Laska, but they were still alert, wary of any elf that might be hiding within the great pines.

By the end of the first day of travel, Ryo's headache had grown from a faint annoyance to a dull, yet unobtrusive ache. He let the others make the campfire that night while he snuggled into Byakuen's soft fur to try and figure out what had caused the dull throb. Go and Retsu, whom he had placed by his side, resonated softly, expressing their concern. Smiling softly, Ryo gently caressed the hilt of each sword, showing his appreciation for them.

"Onii-chan?"

Ryo looked up to Nasutei and saw her worried face, as well as the worried faces of his friends.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I've got a headache," Ryo replied suddenly understanding where it had come from. Seiji started to come over, but the fire disciple raised his hand, stopping him. "I should have expected this. I've lost my connection to all eight," he explained pointing to his temple. "I've always had background noise for almost a year. Now it's very quiet. I'd image Badamon has also lost his connection, but I doubt he used it as freely as I did."

"Eight?" Nasutei asked, her eyes wide.

"Lost your connection?" repeated Shin.

Seiji immediately closed his eyes and reached out for Ryo. The other three did as well and soon saw that Ryo was no longer available in the connection they had been sharing since it began in Tou Hashiba.

"Why?" asked Shuu.

"Because I am no longer allowed to influence you," Ryo replied sadly. "Once you four crossed the River of Judgment, I determined that you were ready for the endgame we are headed towards. The Masho have already crossed and were judged by Badamon. They are ready as well. Therefore, nothing more can interfere with you if you are ready. My connection to you might still be of influence. So it's been severed."

"Eight?" repeated Nasutei. "You were connected to all eight?"

"Yes," answered Ryo. "After Sthiss, I started to get a connection with the other four. Not as strongly as with these four, but I've been getting impressions, rather strongly from time to time. I'd imagine Badamon got his connection to my four during that time as well."

Shin looked appalled. "I most certainly hope we don't share any kind of connection with him."

"While we were in Luga," Ryo stated calmly, still stroking Go and Retsu, "the tables had been turned. We lost in Sthiss. We hadn't really lost up to that point in Hashiba, Daasa Laska, or even on the River Kaosu. The four of you continued to grow closer and closer and your bond strengthened. However, Sthiss hurt all of you very deeply, and the four of you retreated from each other. That was an opening for Badamon, assuming he's been feeling the same things as me. The other four, by contrast, were always solo until they actually won in Sthiss. After that, they've started to get closer and I've been getting impressions from them. Nothing as strong as what I share with you four."

Nasutei shook her head, smiling and caressing the Kikoutei as Ryo was stroking the Ken twins.

"Kayura-sama has more subtleties within this game than I could have ever imagined," she whispered.

"Yeah," Ryo agreed, rubbing his forehead. Looking to the fire, he politely asked, "Kayura-san, I understand the need of severing my connection. I merely ask that the ache I feel from not having them is relieved so that I may better perform my task, whatever it may be, for the end of the game."

"Ryo," Touma replied. "Why are you talking to the fire? That's under you isn't it?"

"Kayura-san can talk to me through the fire," Ryo answered, getting tired. He snuggled further into Byakuen's warm fur.

The fire snapped suddenly and crackled. Ryo and Nasutei both understood Kayura's message.

"Thank you," Ryo told the fire, letting sleep start to engulf him as he curled into Byakuen's side.

Nasutei ran a hand through Ryo's unruly hair. "When he wakes up, his headache will be gone."

"He's had contact with the other four?" Shuu stated.

"No," she replied. "He's had a connection. From the sounds of it, vague impressions. Badamon has probably been getting the same from you."

"Like a glitter around the edge of your thoughts," Seiji murmured.

"A single star trying to shine brighter than the rest," Shin agreed.

Touma and Shuu nodded in agreement.

"But it's not there anymore," the Hashiban prince stated. "I never even noticed it really until now."

"Of course," Nasutei replied, pondering this new information. "Badamon would only have vague impressions. It wouldn't be anything he could really utilize to benefit himself. By contrast, his closer connection to his four would allow him to attain his goals."

Shin's eyes swirled. "I'm beginning to think that no human or elf will ever understand everything that's happening in this game of Kayura-san's."

"Indeed," she agreed. Caressing the Kikoutei once more, however, she added, "I'm rather proud of you four though."

"Oh?" asked Touma.

"You four don't seem all that concerned that Ryo's been connected to the four you've been fighting. From my understanding, you ignited Ryo's rather stubborn temper on the fact that the other Chosen where your 'enemies'."

Shuu chuckled softly. "The Masho will certainly fight us, and we'll probably slip into 'enemy'-mode again, but Ryo's been rather patient in explaining a few things to us about exactly why the Masho aren't really enemies."

Touma offered a lopsided grin. "Just misguided idiots for not following Kaosu."

Shin stirred the soup that had been simmering while they were talking. "I think dinner is ready."

"Good," replied Shuu with much enthusiasm. "I'm starving."

Shin rolled his eyes. "You're always starving."

Everyone laughed and the conversation went to lighter topics for dinner. Once the meal was over, though, Seiji pulled out something from his pack. His shakuhachi. With it, he started to play a tune that the others knew as well. "Best Friends.”

Nasutei laughed as they finished the song.

"Keep up a good atmosphere like that and I don't think there'll be a problem for you in the endgame."

* * *

Three days later, Neutral no Nasutei, Rekka no Ryo, Korin no Seiji, Suiko no Shin, Kongo no Shuu, and Tenkuu no Touma entered the clearing of Yami Daasa Laska to meet Ohoushi no Badamon, Kitsune no Shuten, Doko no Naaza, Gen no Rajura, and Yami no Anubisu. The dark elves were nowhere to be seen, but that did not stop both Seiji and Anubisu from looking around and keeping an eye out for them. Shuten and Touma eyed each other wearily; both Shuu and Rajura were brandishing their weapons and trying to display their respective strength to each other. Naaza and Shin did everything they could to not look at each other.

They stood at opposite sides of the clearing. Nasutei, recognizing her task as the Neutral, stepped forward to the center of the clearing. She held the Kikoutei Mirror in her hands; Ryo openly bore the Go Retsu Ken, and Badamon tightly gripped the Inochi no Madatama in his fist.

"Kayura-sama," Nasutei prayed. "We are all here. I leave the rest to you."

"So be it," Kayura answered.

Everyone with maho felt an influx of power, generated from the three objects, and Nasutei was shocked to see their spiritual forms come out. The dark skinned and white haired form of the Kikoutei stepped forward first, his reflection invisible in his mirror. He looked to the right, at Badamon, and the Inochi's form came next. Her hair was a bright blue hue, almost a match for Touma, and her pale green garb matched that of her brother the Kikoutei. Her eyes were glassy and jewel-like, much like the object she was shaped after, and her skin was a deep tan. Kikoutei smiled and nodded, greeting his sister lovingly. He turned to his left, looking at Ryo, and the spirits of Go and Retsu stepped forward. The twins were armored, as was to be expected for a set of swords. Their armor was a dark color, a stark contrast to their pale skin. They had the red hair of fighters, and each bore their sword form at their hips.

"We," the Kikoutei said, "are the spirits of the Holy Gifts. We have been charged with a Godly Duty, and now we shall fulfill it. The endgame now begins." The dark Kikoutei bowed deeply, as did the other spirits, and turned on their heels, facing the people that bore them. "Do not be afraid," Kikoutei whispered.

Nasutei nodded, unable to quell the racing of her heart and the knot in her stomach.

Kikoutei stepped _into_ her. The spirit turned her head to the right to see Inochi's spirit step into Badamon, and to the left to see the Ken brothers step into Ryo.

_What?_

The eight were just as shocked as Nasutei were.

"Ryo??" the Troopers asked.

"What the??" the Masho wondered.

"We are the Go Retsu Ken," Ryo's voice said. "We will bring you to the endgame."

"We're not already at it here?" Shuten demanded, having heard the Ken's statement.

"You are not," "Badamon" said. "Come," He raised his hand in offering. "Ryo" did the same.

Nasutei/Kikoutei watched; a slight smile of pride on her lips. The Troopers accepted Ryo/Go/Retsu's outstretched hand almost immediately. "We have faith in you," Shin said. "The gods will guide us."

The Masho were not so quick to accept the offer. They took Badamon/Inochi's hand slowly, reluctantly, and one by one. Shuten said, "Now we will discover our destiny."

The spirits nodded, and the eight slowly transformed - much to their shock - into fist sized balls of colored light. The lights of the Chosen in their hands, Ryo/Ken and Badamon/Inochi walked slowly, deliberately, to Nasutei/Kikoutei. Kikoutei nodded her head to both of them and held out his mirror with her hands. "They go to the astral plane," he said with Nasutei's voice, "and we go to the place of decision; the home of the game master, Kayura-sama."

"Yes," Go and Retsu said. Ryo held out his arms, and the four lights; green, orange, sea and night blue, floated into the mirror.

"Yes," Inochi said. Badamon held out his blue skinned hands, and the four lights; yellow, green, purple, and brown, drifted to the mirror and entered.

Kikoutei lowered his mirror and smiled. "Let us go."

"Yes," his sister and brothers agreed. They themselves turned into balls of light, red, lavender, and grey, and they floated to the mountains of Luga; home of Kayura and the awaiting Kaosu and Arago.

* * *

Around the country, different people sensed something. Touma's uncle, the O-sama of Hashiba, stopped in the middle of writing up a list of things to do for the next year and sat up straight. "Touma. . . ?" He smiled. "You've exceeded my expectations."

In the clearing of Daasa Laska, the High Elder paused from giving a lesson and looked to the west. The children wondered what had happened until his spoke. "My grandson Seiji. I am so proud of you."

In Peace, the owner of Mouri no Pottari suddenly drifted off in the middle of talking with her daughter Sayoko. "Shin? Oh, honey, I love you."

The Fuan family restaurant suddenly became very quiet when they realized that the two owners, Mama and Papa Fuan, had stopped in whatever they were doing. "Shuu. . ." Both dropped what they were holding, not even hearing it clatter to the ground, and clasped their hands in prayer. "Kayura-sama, watch over him."

Sadly, they were the only ones to sense something. Four other chosen where left with no prayers for their safety or well wishes.

The three gods heard all of this as the red, lavender, and grey lights floated into Kayura's temple. It was the largest temple ever built, long forgotten by even the Lugan's. High pillars were evenly spaced, the stone floor worn smooth by Kayura's constant pacing. The altar was empty save for a tea set for twelve. The lights reformed to their original shapes. Kikoutei stepped out of Nasutei, his dark skinned face a gentle smile as he stood by her. The Neutral gasped, so shocked to see where she was she almost dropped the spirit's mirror. Ryo and Badamon took their shapes, but the spirits remained inside them. When Nasutei looked questioningly at them, the Go Retsu Ken answered.

"There is no spirit to enter this body," they said. "We shall wait until there is."

Nasutei nodded and looked to the three gods. She bowed deeply. Kaosu had not changed, still in his blue and whites, still in his face-hiding kasee. Kayura also, had not changed. Her long blue hair was pulled back into a simple pony tail, her petite frame wrapped in a fancy, but very flexible, kimono that cut off at the knees and elbows. Arago, too, remained his timeless self. Dressed in a warrior's armor, a katana at his side, his horned helmet hid his face completely, save for his long white locks of hair.

"It is an honor to meet all of you in person," Nasutei said as she exited her bow.

"It is an honor to finally meet you in person," Kaosu replied politely. "You are a beautiful child."

"Thank you," she said.

Kayura smiled and bowed her head. "You are as lovely as ever, Nasutei-chan."

Arago looked at Nasutei for a long time before saying, "Thank you for your work," in a very formal tone.

Nasutei nodded. "Now what?"

"Now we wait," Kayura answered. "And we watch. Kikoutei?"

The dark skinned man bowed respectfully and wiped his hand over his mirror.

The three gods, four spirits, and Neutral watched the endgame.


	34. Endgame 33

Ryo awoke slowly, noting that he felt different than usual. He slowly sat up, looking down at what was supposed to be his hands. Instead, were the paws of a white tiger. Eyes widening, Ryo looked himself over and saw that he was in his astral form, a very tiger-like appearance. Getting up to all fours, Ryo looked around the astral plane, faintly pleased with himself for figuring this part of the endgame out. Tail twitching nervously, he prowled around silently, searching for what he was supposed to do.

He did not understand why he himself was here on the astral plane. Ryo had already chosen; he'd follow his master until his death. Suddenly, his sensitive nose picked up a scent he'd not smelled in centuries.

Crouching low, Ryo gently padded through the terrain, stealthily searching for the owner of the scent. He came upon a clearing and his tail's nervous twitching stopped.

"Ah. Ryo."

Badamon stood, his astral form no different from his human form and smiled viciously. "It appears we fight as well."

Ryo did not dignify the blue-skinned, glass-jawed disciple with a response, and was satisfied to growl.

"Now, now, you flea-bitten, fire-burned beast," Badamon replied, dropping into a fighting stance. "Temper, temper. You must realize that since you value the group so much, you are at a strong disadvantage here."

"Like you would know anything of my master's beliefs," Ryo growled back. "As long as there is no benefit for you, why bother? I at least tried to understand Arago-baka." His claws extended into the ground, out of Badamon's sight.

"Tut, tut," the other disciple spat back. "You value the group, but you have no group to support you here. I value myself, so I am more powerful than you. As a human, I have far greater flexibility than you do as a tiger."

"Perhaps," Ryo retorted, grinning and letting his fangs shine. "We'll just have to see!" He pounced.

* * *

Shuu opened his eyes and observed one blaze of a scenery.

"Eh?" He sat up quickly, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings that made no sense, but seemed perfectly understandable. Looking to himself, the Lugan mercenary also saw that he wasn't in the same shape as when he arrived at Daasa Laska. He appeared like his Kongo ancestors, his lion's tail twitching with each thought and his body coated in pale fur.

"Guess Ryo was right about this astral stuff." Looking around, he spotted his staff and stood up, his balance seemingly unaffected by his new body.

"Mercenary."

Shuu whirled around, staff in a defensive posture, when he saw a large spider-like being with white hair flowing down its head.

"Rajura, I take it?"

"Indeed."

"Nice to finally see you and not some sort of disguise," Shuu commented, memories of his hypnosis returning in quick flashes. "So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?"

The Gen twirled his own staff, and answered, "I was originally going to kill you in revenge."

"I haven't done anything to you," Shuu stated flatly.

"No," Rajura agreed, "but you represent what was done to me." The spider-like man pointed to his missing eye. "I thought I'd defeat you and bring Arago-sama's dream to life. But you know what?" he smiled. "I don't give a blaze about the gods anymore. I'll see this through on my terms. I'll face what you represent because I want to, not because of whatever the outcome will be."

Shuu gauged the Masho, looking for anything in the stance that might tell him something, just as Rajura was observing Shuu's own stance.

"So you want to face your past," Shuu summed up.

"And what of you? What do you wish to accomplish here?" Rajura asked, shifting his stance slightly.

"I'll do what I've always tried to do. I'll remain true to my heart."

"And how do you do that, since you will lose!" Rajura lunged forward, his extra legs giving him profound speed. Shuu barely dodged aside, his Kongo heritage giving him added agility and strength. However, Rajura had the advantage of using a great many more limbs for tripping and striking.

Rolling to the side, Shuu swept his staff under Rajura forcing the spider onto his back. With his more powerful legs, the Lugan pounced onto Rajura, staff hitting staff. The Gen used his multiple appendages to push the Kongo off, spiraling into the air. Shuu twisted, trying to right himself in his swirling chaos. He wasn't allowed to.

"To Chi Mou!"

In an instant, Shuu was covered in white, silky webbing. While the webbing cushioned his impact, if only somewhat, he was now stuck. Rajura advanced with the speed of six legs working together, his staff prepared for another strike.

Shuu would have none of that.

"Gen Ta Sai!"

The ground shook violently, pulling out from under Rajura, making the large spider trip and fall. Shuu used the opportunity to extend claws he didn't even know he had and slice the webbing, disentangling himself quickly. He leapt away from the webbing, feeling what webbing that was left pulling at his fur with every movement.

Rajura was still trying to regain his balance in the earthquake, using his multiple limbs to lever himself upright and subsequently, launching himself into the air, away from the unstable ground.

"To Chi--"

Shuu used his powerful legs to leap up as well, interrupting the Gen's spell and knocking them both back to the no longer shaking earth. Righting himself quickly, the Lugan blocked a kick from one of Rajura's legs, sliding back through the dirt. As he slid, he reached out his tail, pulling one of the spider's legs with him, making Rajura fall back to the ground. Shuu backed up several paces, taking up a defensive stance once more.

Rajura stood, spitting out dirt. "I see that you're being a real sport about this," he spat out. "I haven't seen you using any dirty tricks, just attacks and counter-attacks."

"I said I'd stay true to my heart, so I'll follow justice. That's my choice."

"To Chi Mou!"

Shuu was rather surprised to get surround in webbing from behind. Curse it; he'd need time to pull it all off, since he couldn't reach his back with his claws as easily. He needed to get away.

"Gen Ta Sai!"

The earth shook once more, but Rajura had already lumped into the air. That was just what Shuu was counting on. The ground opened up, forming a small bubble of air, and let Shuu dive into its rocky depths.

Needless to say, Rajura was rather surprised.

"Get back here!"

Shuu didn't bother to listen, instead dropping his staff to the bottom of his air bubble and using his claws to pull and tear the cursed webbing off of him. He tore at the webbing, making a small pile, away from him and his staff, ripping his shirt and some of his fur as he yanked the sticky material off.

"Cursed Gen, attacking from behind." Finally web-free, Shuu sat down to consider his options. Rajura had multiple legs, which provided speed and extra weapons to utilize. His maho created webbing to slow him down, though Shuu knew that it could also create illusions, like it had back in Suiss, or any other disguise the Gen used. The good thing about the illusions was that Shuu now knew how to see, or rather, hear through them. All he had to do was listen for Rajura's many feet to hit the ground. He doubted that the Gen was aware of Shuu's new intuition, so that put him at an advantage with illusions. However, the legs and webbing were tripping him up, literally and figuratively.

Shuu could probably avoid the webbing, if he knew what direction it was coming from. Unfortunately, his maho didn't exactly cover him there. Or could it? Shuu ran a hand through his hair. "Blaze of a time for experimentation now. . ."

All those legs were still going to be a problem. Rajura had already figured out how to avoid a earthlier unbalancing, by jumping into the air. Shuu's tail swished in frustration behind him, the tuft of gray fur at the end of it standing on end.

"Curse it."

Waiting wasn't going to get him anything, so he might as well go back up and see what he could do. "Gen Ta Sai!" His little pocket of air rose up through the ground.

He burst through the surface, going high into the air, to see if he could find the sneaky spider in question. Rajura was on the ground, not far from him, twirling his staff.

Flipping in midair, Shuu shifted his descent towards the Gen. Rajura sped forward, staff still twirling. At the last second, the spider disappeared. _Looks like he's been strategizing like me_, Shuu observed. Still, he could hear the foot falls on the ground, and he quickly turned blocking what would have been a painful strike.

"I see you've learned a few tricks," Rajura stated. "To Chi Mou!"

Shuu struggled to try and sense where the maho was forming. He felt something vague behind him, and fell back, flipping Rajura over him. The spider twisted in the air, narrowly avoiding the webbing that he had created. Shuu rolled, getting out of its path, and getting to his feet. He didn't stay on his feet long as a vicious kick from a pair of Rajura's legs caught him in the back, pitching him forward. Shuu rolled with it, righted himself, and swung his staff at the Gen, hitting Rajura's staff. The Kongo shifted, spinning, letting his tail knock Rajura's staff away.

Rajura responded by spinning as well, using his numerous legs to savagely strike Shuu. The Lugan did his best to block and back away.

"Gen Ta Sai!"

Rajura leapt up, so Shuu decided to do something he hadn't done since he was back at Kaosu's Keep. He closed his eyes in concentration, feeling Rajura land briefly before leaping again. The ground around him rose into a column of muddy dirt, taking the shape of a roughshod dragon.

In the air, Rajura had nowhere for his fast legs to get a grip and run. Shuu grunted; his concentration fading fast as he lunged the earth dragon to the spider, missing utterly. Rajura landed bewildered, while Shuu was trying to get his breath. The Gen recovered quickly, however, lunging toward the Kongo. Shuu barely had time to block, and nearly lost his balance and Rajura pushed hard, using his legs to continue to trip the Lugan up.

Shuu twisted his staff, shoving Rajura aside briefly before they locked weapons again. Rajura used his leverage to flip over the Lugan to try and strike from behind. He turned in time to block again, but Shuu wondered if either of them would get the better of the other at this rate. They were turning out as a draw, neither able to completely overcome the other. Good. This was a truly fair fight. Shuu couldn't ask for anything more. He was able to cut loose without having to worry about hurting anyone severely. They were on even footing and matching each other pace for pace.

For the first time since entering the astral plane, Shuu smiled. It was good to finally have a fair fight. It didn't really matter who won anymore. Shuu knew that he had stayed true to himself and his heart.

Rajura looked at him oddly when the fanged grin displayed itself. Something flickered in his eyes. Shuu twisted himself, letting the spider stumble aside, taking another defensive stance. Rajura continued to stumble forward, energy seeming to drain from him with each step of his many legs. When he finally came to a stop, his staff dropped.

"I never would have thought it possible," Rajura said softly. "An honorable mercenary who loves a fair fight and doesn't drop down to trickery. A mercenary whose reputation is one of making sure he's doing the right thing. A mercenary who values knowledge. I thought Shuten and I were the only ones to hold it in such high regard." Rajura's head dropped. "I can't hate that which I respect. You are clearly not the same as the one who took my eye from me."

Shuu wasn't exactly sure how to take that. Technically, nobody had truly won yet, but from what he understood, Kayura wasn't about who was stronger, faster, or smarter. It was about the choices they would be making during this fight. Shuu had made his choice early on. It appeared that Rajura had finally made his own choice.

"So," he replied slowly. "What do you say we get out of here and try to find our friends?"

Rajura turned slowly. "I can't guarantee that my attitude will change overnight. But I can now make a step towards burying what has made me so bitter."

Shuu smiled once more.

"I'm not expecting everything to be fun and games when we're done with all this. I just want to keep staying true to myself."

Rajura actually laughed. "You just might need me to force you to learn about yourself. I'd imagine my hypnosis of you in Sthiss pointed out a few things."

"I'll say," Shuu replied seriously. He smiled once more. "But who says I can't teach you a few tricks as well?"

"I'd love to see you try."

Shuu twirled his staff. "You should try sparring with me sometime. I can teach you how to make better use of so many legs, or how to use that cursed webbing as a trap instead of just throwing it at me." He knew it was a risk, offering assistance in battle since Shuu couldn't be sure they wouldn't fight again. But his heart told him it was the right thing to do.

"I think I'll be the one to teach you a few tricks."

"Ha!"

Together, they strolled off, in hopes of finding the other Chosen who were in battle. Fortunately, or unfortunately as the case may be, they continued to bicker the whole way.

* * *

Kaosu smiled under his kasee. "An easy decision. He was always the strongest of the Chosen."

Arago, however, was completely dismayed at what Rajura had chosen for his future. He stomped the stone floor angrily, cursing vehemently.

Kayura merely smiled, still looking through the mirror that the Kikoutei spirit held.

* * *

Ryo began to realize, much to his dismay, that Badamon had somehow gotten a lot more practice in the astral plane than he had. The blue skinned man could manipulate it to his will and, more importantly, to his distinct advantage. While Ryo's tiger form was faster, stronger, and more powerful than Badamon's human form, Ryo was continually put on the defensive because the landscape - for lack of a better word - kept changing around him. Badamon used his mind and his magic to shift the plane from a hilly field to a dense forest to the outer reaches of space to a packed street in Hashiba to a jungle clearing in Sthiss. It changed so quickly and so frequently that Ryo was continuously disoriented, leaving him open to attack.

The plane shifted yet again, this time to a simpler version of the astral plane, a landscape without landscape, where color and objects and direction was indeterminate. Off in the distance were Shuu and Rajura, in their astral forms, laughing and bickering before Shuu looked up and stopped.

"Ryo?? What are you doing here?" he called out.

Badamon lunged forward and wrapped his arms around the tiger. Ryo choked out a surprised gasp before the disciple of Arago-baka tightened his grip.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Shuu called out. "Of all the low down dirty tricks to pull!"

"To Chi Mou!" Rajura threw out his webbing toward the battling disciples, intent on separating the two.

Ryo had no idea what to make of this, until the mind link between he and Shuu opened. Shuu had made his choice. The Rekka blinked in shock, however, when the link with Rajura also opened, fully. The webbing struck and Badamon was knocked back.

"That was for my family and the countless indignation I had to endure under you," Rajura spat.

"Ryo, are you al--"

Shuu's words were cut off, however, as Badamon used his maho to change the scenery again. He tried furiously to rip off the webbing.

Ryo gave a feral grin. "Can't do much without claws, can you?" he asked. "Here, let me give you hand, or in this case, a paw!"

Ryo pounced.

* * *

Shuten found himself in a place that was not a place. He could not figure it. His eyes saw color of all sorts, mixing, melting, moving and shifting in such a way that there seemed to be no pattern to it, no sense or rhythm; and yet, he was not disturbed by the imagery. In fact, it seemed quite soothing to him. Where was he? Where had the spirit of the Inochi no Madatama taken him?

His tails swished as he thought back. He remembered a woman with jeweled eyes stepping into Badamon and then, somehow, making him a yellow ball of light. He remembered little after that, his next coherent memory was of being in this place.

Wait a minute. Tails?

Shuten looked down, shocked to find himself in the form of a three tailed Kitsune. Did someone make a mistake when they were putting him back together? What the cursed blazes was going on here?

The scenery around him shifted suddenly, taking on the form of the Hashiban royal courtroom. It shifted again to the castle courtyard and stables, and then to a simplistic Hashiban chambers, and then to the courtroom where they had held the trial.

"Woah. Ryo was right; you can do just about anything."

Shuten turned around and saw an odd person of blue skin, taloned feet, and wings. The Oni knew immediately that this was prince Touma, somehow changed into the form of his Tenkuu heritage.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

The prince whirled around, not expecting the other voice. He did not seem surprised, however, to find Shuten there. The prince shrugged his shoulders, his blue feathered wings shrugging with them. "I guess I was right."

"Right about what?" Shuten demanded. "What does this have to do with my destiny in this war?"

Touma blinked, completely surprised by what the Kitsune had said. "Boy, have you got things all wrong."

Shuten found a kusari-gama suddenly in his hand. He gripped it. "What does that mean?"

Touma immediately summoned a bow and arrow to his hands, obviously more comfortable with this odd place than Shuten. That put him a disadvantage. Shuten cursed mentally; of course he was playing with a marked deck. The gods wouldn't have it any other way, would they?

"Look," Touma said slowly, deliberately. "I know that the two of us have some pretty big issues to hash out here, but I'd rather not do it with weapons. I still don't know how much we can or can't do here, and I don't want to level the astral plane like we did Suiss."

Shuten gauged the prince. It was not in Touma's flawed character to lie, only to hide and run away. His intelligence was worthy of note, and Shuten finally accepted that what he was speaking was the truth. He lowered his kusari-gama; and Touma gave a sigh of relief before lowering his weapons.

"You'll forgive me if I do not banish the weapons entirely," Shuten said carefully. He wasn't sure what was going on, he wanted to keep what little advantage he did or didn't have at hand.

"I understand," Touma said. Shuten noticed that he, too, did not cast aside his weapons completely. The bow was still cocked.

"Astral plane?" was Shuten's first question.

"Okay," Touma started, falling easily into lecture mode. "We're in a place called the astral plane. I'm not entirely sure what it is myself, but Kayura thought it would be better if we tear each other up here than on our world. I don't think she wants another disaster like Suiss to happen again, but we need maho, I think, to enter the astral plane. A give and take scenario. We're here to make a choice, Arago or Kaosu. I'm still not entirely sure why we're facing off in pairs; my best guess is that it somehow helps with the decision making."

"That is our destiny? To make a choice between gods?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Shuten frowned. "Are you certain that it all? What happens after we choose? Do we die?"

Touma blinked, his eyebrows disappearing into his bangs. Frowning, he thought about it. "I doubt it," he said finally. "I can't say anything about Ryo or Badamon, let alone what happens to the god who loses, but I've been given the distinct impression that we'll definitely be alive when this is over. Besides," he added with an odd grin, "from what I've been hearing about Kayura, she's not the type to get rid of you when she's done with you. Nasutei told us that the three gifts, the Kikoutei, Inochi, and Go and Retsu, have some pretty big plans after all this. If she'll let three objects have their way when this is over, then she'll probably let us have ours."

Shuten felt somehow cheated. "The entire reason I am here is pick a god like I would a card from a deck? I receive no guarantees that my own goals will be ensured? All the work that I have done, my worry about my destiny and my dreams, have nothing to do with what I am here to do?"

Touma's face changed to one of sympathy. "They didn't even tell you that? Arago and Badamon have a weird way of doing things. I'm not used to that. I'm sorry you had to hear it from me."

Shuten suddenly hardened. "I had thought that my growing respect for you would change things, but it appears that it will not. I cannot allow a coward such as you to take the throne of Hashiba. I cannot allow anyone from the Tenkuu line take the throne; they have proven themselves over and over to be weak willed and selfish rulers who care nothing about their people." Shuten raised his weapon, preparing for a fight.

"Now wait a minute! Hold on a second!" Touma cried out, raising his hand in defense. "Don't go making any ubiquitous generalizations like that without knowing all the facts! I admit I was petrified of the throne, but I only have Badamon and myself to blame for that."

That stopped Shuten; the prince's words had piqued his curiosity. "Yourself and Badamon?" he repeated.

Touma sighed. "You know that Badamon and Ryo each showed themselves to us as kids, right?"

"Yes," Shuten said. "I am not a child."

"Don't take everything so personally!" Touma shouted. He gave an exasperated sigh. "Jeez. I know that Arago and Badamon haven't told you everything, but I don't know how much they have told you, alright? Anyway, Badamon revealed himself to me by sneaking me out of the castle and showing me the worst side of Tou Hashiba, happily telling me that it was the fault of the king that slums like that happen. My over analytical head did the rest. The reason I was so petrified of the throne was because I didn't want anyone, ANYONE, to have to suffer as a result of my decision. The more I thought about it the more I realized that ANY decision I made was going to hurt someone. Things just snowballed after that."

Shuten raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He did not know what to say. He had heard from Touma's perverted uncle only that he was scared of the throne. He doubted that even the O-sama knew the true reason for the fear.

"I don't know if this makes you feel any better," Touma said, "but at the River of Judgment I sort of resigned myself to my fate, my destiny, if you will. I'm going to become the next Head of the Bank, Hashiba no O-sama. If I can't do anything about it, I might as well make the best of it."

Shuten narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How?"

"Well, for starters, if Seiji's reputation hasn't been completely ruined with his grandfather when this is over, I'm going to do some groveling and see if Seiji can't stay on with me for a few more years, at least until I can get a tight circle of advisors and assistants. I've seen my uncle's advisors, and believe me when I say I don't want them. Political intrigue may be intellectually stimulating and exciting for him, but it's just a big headache and constant worry for me." Touma paused, thinking. "I've been so wrapped up in this endgame thing that I haven't had a chance to collect my thoughts. I'll need a historian, someone who can read between the lines and tell me what really happened about whatever policy I'm looking into. A good, honest, bribe-resisting secretary, some experts on particular fields of government, and someone who can objectively tell me the pros and cons of what I'm trying to get done. I wouldn't want more than five or seven, much more than that and I'd lose track of them, and if they're my advisors, I certainly don't want to lose track of them." Touma shrugged, his wings shifting again with the movement of his shoulders. "This is all off the top of my head. I'll have more time to think about it when this," he gestured to the astral plan representation of a courtroom, "is over.

"Now that I'm thinking about it, especially in this way, I'm starting to look forward to it. If I can know for a fact that what I'm doing benefits the most people; that as few people as possible are being hurt, then I can sleep at night. That's all I've really wanted."

Shuten raised a red eyebrow, his three tails swishing in intricate unison. This was proving to be a very enlightening conversation.

"Do you know why I hated you so much?" he asked.

Touma blinked, surprised by the question. "I assume it's because you were marked an Oni - oh! I have no intention of using that, by the way - and wanted revenge."

"Yes, that was certainly part of it." Shuten said. He turned, raising his clawed hand to his chin in thought. He'd all but forgotten about the weapon in his hands. "My primary concern, and subsequently objective, was to prevent what happened to me from happening to anyone else. You're family has, miraculously, been in charge for centuries, and while I do not doubt that some of you have been good at your job, many have not. Everything I have done is to make certain that no one is blamed for something that they didn't do again, especially the Oni mark that would brand entire families, regardless of their knowledge of whatever sin they had committed."

The Kitsune shifted his weight, turning back to Touma. "I find it interesting, even ironic, that you seem to have the exact same concerns as me about the throne, and the same determination to prevent them. I think," Shuten paused. He was not sure if he could say the words, but as the realization hit him, he found out that he had to say them. "I think that you will make a good king."

Touma's jaw dropped; his wings and tail feathers quickly following suit. "YOU think I'LL make a good king?"

Shuten scoffed and flushed with embarrassment. "Don't rub it in. It's only because your plans happen to coincide with mine."

Touma grinned widely. "Well, then, I guess it's a good thing that I grant you a full pardon and appoint you as my first advisor."

Shuten took his turn to drop his jaw. "What?"

"You're exactly what I need. You know firsthand what the downside is to making a hard decision, you'll be the perfect advisor. Besides, it lets you have a say in the action, and you get to make sure that I never lose perspective."

Shuten blinked. "You are a very interesting person, Touma."

"So are you, uh, what's your real name anyway?"

Shuten grinned. "Kouma."

* * *

Kaosu nodded. "I am glad to see that Touma finally understands the full responsibility of being king. I am glad to see that Shuten also finally understands the full responsibility of being king. They will be a good combination for Hashiba."

Kayura grinned. "I'm just glad he finally took the responsibility. He was pretty whiny there, for a while."

Kaosu smirked. "Do not let Ryo-kun hear that, he will defend Touma-kun to the bitter end, even against you."

Both of them ignored Arago's sputtering and increased volume of stomping. Nasutei backed away instinctively, but the dark skinned spirit of the Kikoutei rested a comforting hand on her shoulder and stepped protectively in front of her.

"I cannot believe this is happening!"

"Believe it, Arago-kun," Kayura giggled. "Now please shut up and continue watching."

* * *

The mind link with the relieved Shuu and the confused but curious Rajura had heartened Ryo, and he continued to duke it out with Badamon. Unfortunately, this was not a battle that was going to be won with heart, or else Ryo would have won long ago, at least in Ryo's thinking. Badamon still had that infuriating upper hand. Now, now only was he changing the astral plane, he also displayed a new technique: the ability to call up weapons.

The last time Ryo was on the astral plane, he had done some experimentation. One of the first things he tried to do was invoke his Rekka ability and change his astral form from that of a tiger to something else. He learned very quickly and more than a little painfully that he could not change his shape on the astral plane. It made more sense later on. The astral plane was the mental projection of yourself, and you could no more change that than you could change who you were. Badamon, however, seemed to have no such constrictions. He summoned swords, shuriken, axes, and staffs at will for whatever use desired. More often than not the objects were thrown his way, controlled by Badamon's mind.

Ryo had taken a number of small hits, all of which were stinging in some way, shape, or form. Ryo could only growl in frustration when Badamon switched the scenery yet again, this time to somewhere in the castle of Tou Hashiba.

"Ryo??"

"Sanada? Badamon?"

The two combatants stopped and stared.

"Touma? Kouma? I mean, Shuten?" They were in their astral forms, that of the Tenkuu and Kitsune. Each had a weapon in their hands, and only with Ryo staring at them did they seem to remember they had them and raised them.

"What are you doing on the astral plane?" Touma asked. "I thought it was only going to be the eight of us."

"So did I!" Ryo complained. "Kayura-sama was keeping things from me!"

Touma could only laugh. "Hey, what did you expect? She is the game master and all."

Badamon, not one for talking unless it was down to someone, found the interruption irritating and displayed it by throwing some shuriken towards the two.

"Hey!" Ryo exclaimed as he jumped in front of Touma and Shuten, catching the throwing stars with his claws and teeth. "They have nothing to do with our fight!"

Shuten stood still, shocked that Ryo had defended the two of them. Touma, more than used to the Rekka backing up his friends, glared menacingly at Badamon. "Ryo," Touma asked. "Don't you get any weapons?"

"I don't know how to make them here," Ryo murmured in reply. "Don't think I haven't tried."

"But it's really easy," Touma said in surprise, sending Ryo, Shuten, and even Badamon into face faults. "What? It is! I learned from Shuten, er Kouma, er. . . "

"Shuten is fine."

"Here." Touma held out his hands and the bow and arrows disappeared, reshaping themselves to a near duplicate of the Go Retsu Ken. "You can use these." He tossed them and Ryo caught them right before Badamon shifted the scenery.

"Curses," Badamon spat.

Ryo flexed his new swords happily in his paws. "Only according to you," he said happily.

* * *

Seiji and Anubisu sat, eyeing each other, pondering what to do. They had been doing so for a long time. Both had recognized the astral plane immediately; it was exactly as their legends had described. Both also recognized that they were now on the gods' playing ground, and neither knew how to proceed. Even if they were on their plane of existence, there was no knowledge whatsoever on what godly etiquette was. They compared notes briefly on how they treated their respective god, Kaosu and Arago. They found the two means of address conflicting, and ultimately highly irrelevant, as it was Kayura who was passing judgment on this confrontation. So they both sat down and tried to figure out what was the appropriate thing to do.

"I can think of nothing," Seiji said finally. "My thoughts are running in circles as to how to go about this."

"I am in agreement," the jackal form of Anubisu reluctantly agreed. "We are clearly meant to do something together before we choose which god to follow."

"If the gods will not tell us, then perhaps we should determine the proper course of action. This is our. . . I am not even sure what we are to call this."

Anubisu nodded, and the two drifted back into deep thought. Seiji's wolf-like tail wagged back and forth in frustration as he tried to come up with ideas on what the two of them could do that would fulfill whatever Kayura's elusive protocol was.

Finally, the Yami spoke. "A duel."

Seiji looked up, his wolf ears twitching just as much as Anubisu's jackal ears. "A duel?"

"Yes. Whatever our personal opinions, we are Yami and Korin elves. That has not changed even in this magical plane. We have an obligation to fight each other. It also serves Kayura's mysterious purpose. The winner of the duel will be the winner of this challenge. Be it from better skill or stronger heart, or the just side, that is up to Kayura."

Seiji nodded, understanding and agreeing with the logic. In unison, they both stood up. Seiji remembered the stories of his childhood, of duels fought between Yami and Korin in the olden days, when the forest was all made of bamboo. Bamboo was now a rare, treasured find. It was too bad the astral plane did not have such a shape.

To Seiji's surprise, however, the colorful, colorless existence of the astral plane shifted to that of the bamboo forest of his imagination.

"What?" Anubisu asked, shocked at the change.

Seiji's ears twitched. "I believe that was me. I was just thinking of how it would be appropriate if we were to fight in a bamboo forest. It just happened."

Anubisu rose a dark eyebrow. "Then perhaps the mind can do other things." He held his hand out and slowly a sword formed in his hand. Seiji held out his hand and followed suit, wishing for his sword and thereby receiving it.

"Incredible."

"Indeed."

Seiji eyed is opponent. "What are the rules of this duel?"

"The winner is the one to disarm the other," the Yami said after a moment's thought. "Injuries will be ignored. If one is disarmed or unable to get up after six breaths is the loser."

"A traditional duel, then," Seiji said; slipping into his fighting stance. "I accept."

"As do I."

The two dog-like forms circled each other, gauging the other's abilities, their strengths and weaknesses. Seiji had already discovered earlier that his haunch-like legs were more powerful, and that his tail gave him a greater sense of balance. His senses were enhanced; his hearing and smell - such as they were on an astral plane - were very acute. But, for every new advantage he had, Anubisu had exactly the same enhancements. This was as even a duel as Seiji could imagine. For a brief moment he wondered why they had taken such forms on the astral plane.

Anubisu made the first move, using his powerful legs to lift himself high into the air. Seiji raised his sword and sidestepped, blocking and deflecting the blow off to the side. The Korin spun around, swinging his sword with him, to strike. Anubisu countered, blocking with his sword and raising one of his legs to kick Seiji. Seiji raised his own leg to block, and the pair leapt back, disengaging.

The circling began again, and this time Seiji made the first move. He ran forward, his powerful legs giving him greater speed. Anubisu raised his sword, but Seiji changed direction at the last second. Taking a sudden step to the right while turning to the left, he skidded to a halt behind the Yami, dropped down and threw his legs under the jackal. Anubisu was surprised by the move but recovered quickly. On the ground, he rolled away before Seiji could disarm him and swung his tail up, catching Seiji's face in a hail of dark fur. Spitting and sputtering, Seiji paused to get the bits of fur out of his face and eyes. Anubisu gave him the time to recover, not about to do anything dishonorable in front of the godly judges.

When Seiji finally had the last of the fur out of his eyes, he held his sword and they began circling a third time. This time they attacked simultaneously. They ran toward each other and locked swords.

"You fight as well as my grandfather before his age claimed his strength," Seiji complimented.

"And you as well as my parents before they were lost to me."

They disengaged long enough to lock blades again, each trying to get leverage over the other. Seiji realized that this would not work; they were literally on equal par with each other. Anubisu pulled back suddenly and spun around, Seiji blocked the incoming blow with his sword and drove his elbow up, almost clipping Anubisu in the jaw. The jackal saw this, however and leapt up, landing just behind Seiji and throwing a vicious kick into the Korin's back. Seiji stumbled forward, turning quickly. He did not raise his sword quickly enough, however, and only succeeded in lessening the sting of the Yami's blade. The sword ripped into his shirt, cutting into his collarbone. Seiji leapt back, half grunting; half growling in pain.

"First blood goes to you," he said. "That was very well done." He rubbed the sore spot, feeling the bleeding slow already.

"We are trying to impress the gods," Anubisu answered, swinging his sword lightly and rolling his shoulders. "I think I am finally starting to warm up." The Yami grinned.

Seiji grinned as well. "So am I."

It was a long duel. As Seiji found himself continually observing, they were on level fighting skills. The light elf wondered if the others were having such prolonged battle. The two elves struck and countered and parried and thrust and swung and swiped. Neither could disarm the other, however, and neither was knocked to the ground for more than six breaths. The respect for one another increased dramatically over the duel, their prowess in creativity and speed and strength amazing the other, as well as their honor in letting one another catch their breath or avoiding a cheap blow. In one of their many circles, Seiji had long lost count, Anubisu commented on it.

"One would think that this was two Yami fighting each other, not a Yami and a Korin."

"I was going to say that it was two Korin, myself," Seiji said.

The fight continued, increasing in speed and intensity as they grew anxious to find a victor. Even an even playing field must eventually give way. They were both getting a little impatient to find it.

It did finally happen, though. Seiji's greatest asset, his speed, finally began to show itself. Anubisu's greatest asset in battle had always been his determination, fueled by his tightly controlled rage, often gave him great power. But without any rage towards Seiji, his power waned quicker than he had expected, and Seiji suddenly found an opening. He swung his sword in a wide arc, Anubisu raising his sword to block it. Seiji anticipated that, and drove his knee towards the Yami. Anubisu was faced with countering two simultaneous blows. Seiji expected to disarm him. The Yami did not react as planned, however. He instead twisted his wrist and angled his sword to take both blows. It worked, but the force of a swinging sword an powerful kick place too much strain on his arm, and there was a sick sounding crack that echoes off the bamboo forest.

Anubisu backed away, gripping his wrist as his face twisted in pain. Seiji looked on in shock.

"Stupid," the Yami muttered. "The astral plane is a place of the mind, and the mind makes pain like this very real." He grunted again. "We are not invulnerable here."

Seiji immediately stepped forward. "Here," he said. He reached out.

"What are you doing?" Anubisu demanded, not in the mood for more pain. He still held his sword, still thinking about the duel.

"Only this," Seiji said. He placed both hands on the broken wrist and closed his eyes. "Rai Ko Zan." There was a soft green light, and Anubisu groaned as he heard his wrist pop and reposition itself, the bone reconnecting and healing. When Seiji was done, there was only phantom pain.

"What was that?"

"Perhaps the most useful form of my maho," Seiji explained. "I can heal."

"Injuries were to be ignored," Anubisu said, flexing his wrist.

"You could not be expected to fight with a broken wrist, however powerful I perceive you to be," Seiji insisted. "I have learned rather thoroughly that our perceptions are very wrong. Did you know that we were once the same? That there was no separation between Korin and Yami?"

"I did not." Anubisu was surprised.

"The reason for the division was because of the Fifty Year War. Our decision not to raise our swords against you, and your decision to raise your swords against us, is what cursed us to this war."

Anubisu laughed. "It would make sense that something so stupid would cause so big a rift."

Seiji smiled. "Indeed." He paused, debating, but he decided to press on. "I have learned many things in the past year, the most important is that a lot of what we, Korin elves at least, do because of tradition is no longer appropriate. Some of it is even detrimental. If our customs have fallen so far behind, then perhaps it is time to change them. I have decided to start with myself, that the first step to that is recognizing, as Kaosu told me when I first met him, is that everyone is worthy and deserving of respect. That includes Yami. They are not spawn or demons, as childhood stories tell. They are elves, just like us. You are just like me. You have virtually the same honor system as me, and you adhere to it as strictly as I do. There is no reason for us to kill each other."

Anubisu took it all in, his face unreadable as he continued to examine his healed wrist. He finally let go of his sword, letting it clatter to the ground.

"If a Korin elf can perform such a worthy act, then so can a Yami. Tell me, is this the result of following Kaosu-dono?"

Seiji shrugged. "I am not certain. It is a personal decision for me. I have released the last of my prejudices. Kaosu-sama favors the group over the individual. It is very complex, because the definition of group is so varied. It is not a perfect system, but I believe that with Kayura-sama they can work on it."

"You have faith in your god."

"I have faith in Ryo. He is the epitome of his god's beliefs, and because of that I believe in Kaosu-sama. He has not led us astray so far. He has been very good to us, and for what it is worth, I sense that it is through sincere feeling, and not necessity."

"That is much more than Arago-sama has ever done for me, for us." Anubisu bowed to Seiji. "I look forward to learning your ways."

* * *

Kaosu breathed an audible sigh of relief. "That was a very close duel."

Kayura sighed more out of impatience. "It took them long enough! All that worrying about etiquette and honor; I thought I was going to go insane."

Arago, too, sighed. Things were not going his way. At all.

Nasutei smirked at the different reactions, and Kikoutei moved on.


	35. Endgame 34

The fake Go Retsu Ken gave Ryo much more footing than he previously had. The disadvantage he was suffering, while still there, was now significantly less than before. Badamon did take note of this, and compensated by actually taking part in the battle; using a handy sword or axe or shield to strike or block Ryo as he attacked. Ryo was getting used to the constantly changing scenery, it no longer distracted him. The only real difficulty was the weapons.

Ryo jumped and dodged and sidestepped, deliberately making his way to the blue skinned Badamon. He took no notice when the scenery changed to that of a bamboo forest, but he did notice his name being called.

"Ryo?!" He stopped in mid step to see Seiji and Anubisu. They, like Rajura, Shuu, Shuten, and Touma before them, opened their minds and he was flooded with Seiji's concern and worry and Anubisu's tentative welcome and objective assessment of the situation.

Badamon cursed loudly and drove a sword into Ryo. The tiger man blocked the blade, the sword ripping his shirt but nothing else.

"Ryo! We will assist you!" Seiji cried out, already raising his sword and running towards him.

"This isn't your fight!" Ryo called back. "I don't want to see you get hurt!" Badamon swung again and Ryo dodged again.

"Then know that we are with you, Sanada Ryo," Anubisu said, talking deliberately to Badamon. "We are on your side."

"Traitors, all of you!" Badamon spat. He changed the scenery again, getting away from the pair.

"That's six," Ryo said happily. Strength filled his body. "I think now we're about even."

* * *

Shin was aware of sound before anything else. Lapping water, sea gulls, and wind rolling on water. So many familiar sounds. Since leaving the River Kaosu, Shin hadn't really been able to be on the water for any extended period of time. The brief ferry across the River of Judgment was hardly enough to reacquaint him with the blue depths he so cherished close to his heart. To be able to finally hear their symphony of sound was a blessing he wasn't aware he was aching for.

The next thing he was aware of was color. Blue and white to be exact. He was looking up to the pale cyan of the sky spotted with ivory clouds slowly making their march across the high road. If Shin wasn't so permanently attached to the sea, he might have loved the sight of the clouds as much as Touma did. But then, Shin was beginning to see beauty in everything that was around him. His realization that beauty was increased once realized how precious little time it had on this world had made him notice all the little things that he had passed over before.

Wait a minute, just, where was he?

He was floating. In water. With no sign of shore near him.

His gills flared with a sharp intake of breathe as he spun in the water, trying to see anything about where the shoreline might be. He was too close to the waterline to determine anything. He'd need height to see anything. Taking a deep breath, he dove down, his tailfin slapping the water. Once Shin was deep in the water, he changed direction and swam as fast as he could toward the surface. He broke the surface and rose higher into the air than he expected. Twisting himself to look around, he saw a small dot on the horizon where the gulls seemed to be concentrated. He had a direction to swim for.

Hang on. Why wasn't he falling back into the water?

Looking down, Shin finally noticed that his body wasn't exactly human anymore. He seemed to be half fish. Well, Shin supposed that was appropriate to some degree, given his love of the sea and the fact that he had Suiko ancestry. It was still a little hard to believe. What's more, he didn't seem to have any adverse effects to his sense of what his body should do. If he wanted to move a foot, his tailfin twitched like he wanted. He had an instinct on how this body moved as well as how to use it to his best advantage.

That still didn't answer why he was still floating in the air. This was more unnerving than when Touma decided to take him flying in Luga to clean some of the mirrors. However, Ryo said that on the astral plane, there was a lot of versatility on what could be done.

Perhaps, Shin mused, this was compensation for normally only being able to maneuver in water. To adjust, the astral plane let him swim through the air like he would in the sea. How very interesting. Shin wondered briefly if the others needed compensation like this for whatever their astral forms ended up being.

Okay. He could work with this. He looked to the far off shore and swam that way through the air. Oddly enough, the air didn't feel like air to Shin. Instead, it felt like the consistency and weight of water, making his swimming easier. This astral plane was bizarre. He'd need a lot of time in order to fully try and explore and figure out what he could do up here. However, something inside him was driving him towards the shoreline. There would be no time to train, practice, or experiment. He had an important task. He was here to choose.

The shore approached him rapidly and he recognized it easily. Peace. His home. It was deserted save for himself as he swam through the streets, stopping in front of his mother's pottery shop. He placed his webbed hand on the shop window, feeling hundreds of feelings of home and family, memories of growing up flooding him. It was hard to believe that one place could have such an effect on someone.

By the door was the sapphire jeweled staff of a monk-sir. Shin grasped the handle and ran a hand over to staff. This object also brought up many feelings and memories, not all of them pleasant. It seemed hypocritical now, a priest having a weapon. When he was an apprentice monk, it had been explained to him that even a priest needed to defend himself at times. Shin had merely assumed it to be the truth and trained with it, already familiar with it from his time on the seas. In reality, the weapon was for ensuring power in Sthiss. A horrid twisting and abuse of the texts the Kaosan priest-sirs kept sacred.

Shin was rather surprised when something wrapped around him and a blade appeared in front of his neck. He barely had time to block the sharp edge with blade of his staff.

"Cursed sir," a familiar voice hissed.

Shin shoved his staff forward, pushing the blade away and loosening whatever had wrapped around him, allowing him to swim out of what had encircled him. Spinning around, Shin saw Naaza as a snake, wielding only two of his six swords.

"I don't suppose we can sit down and discuss this, can we?" Shin asked hopefully.

"What the blazes do you think?" Naaza spat back. "Stupid sir."

Shin sighed, already taking up a defensive stance. He didn't really want to fight the Doko, since Shin now had a far better understanding about what the jungle country was like; he was hardly willing to fight someone who was completely justified in his actions. Naaza had every right to be angry at priests and the whole clergy, from the Kamek of each country down to the priests that held services. While Kaosu himself was someone worthy to follow, the people who claimed to were too far removed to understand the true meaning of Kaosu's teachings. Arago's interfering in Sthiss over the centuries didn't really help matters either. However, there was no way for Shin to explain that to Naaza since Shin was a monk himself, automatically untrustworthy in the eyes of the Doko.

Naaza coiled his snake tail under him, his swords crossed in front. Without a word, he sprang forward, clashing with Shin's staff. With a single strong flip of his tailfin, Shin swam over Naaza and headed down the street away from his mother's shop. This may be the astral plane, but Shin didn't particularly want to fight in front of a place that held so much for him, real or not.

"Running away?" Naaza slithered down the wooden boardwalk after him, almost as fast at sliding along as Shin was at swimming through the air. They reached to docks at almost the same time and Shin spun, blocking another strike from Naaza's sword. He twisted his staff, knocking the swords away, flipping over the snake's head, his dorsal fin hitting Naaza's shoulder, knocking him forward. Naaza responded by rolling forward, whipping his snake's tail out like a whip and knocking Shin back as well.

Shin quickly regained his balance and swam up into the air in hopes that height would give him some time on how to work with the situation. He wasn't given the opportunity.

"Ja Ga Ken!"

A ball of poisonous energy headed straight for him, setting the piers and warehouses on fire.

"Cho Ryu Ha!"

The sea responded to his call, creating pillars of water that spun rain down onto the docks, soaking the wood and putting out the flames. Unfortunately, it did not slow or alter the poison ball headed for him, so Shin gave a swift slap of his tailfin, heading higher and out of range of the ball. The poison exploded harmlessly in the sky as Shin sank down to the docks, water still raining down everywhere, drenching everything.

"Ja Ga Ken!"

Rather than a poisonous sphere, the staff in Shin's hands started to corrode with the Naaza's maho phrase. Shin gasped, dropping the rusting staff and swam back. With the water flowing around him, he recreated his staff easily, but he was cautious of Naaza's maho. He wasn't certain what the Doko could do with poison, but if the rusted and corroded staff on the ground was any indication, it may be more versatile than he had initially thought.

"Cho Ryo Ha!"

Droplets of the rain merged together, creating an air bubble around Naaza and lifting him up into the air. The Doko didn't seem to like this particular endeavor of Shin's and sliced at the bubble with his swords fiercely. Unfortunately for Naaza, Shin controlled the water so slices were either avoided or the area was reinforced. From what Shin could see, Naaza appeared to be swearing a blue streak inside the bubble prison. That was fine for the Suiko descendant. It gave him time to think. Certainly, just trapping Naaza wouldn't be enough for Kayura. Shin and Naaza both were here for a choice. The problem was that Shin didn't know what his choice was supposed to be.

He understood that ultimately, he'd be choosing between the gods, but he wasn't sure how the choice would be posed. Shin doubted it would be as simple as "Which god do you wish to follow?" It would probably have something to do more with behavior, but what behavior, and how would it determine which god he would follow? But did it matter? The world wasn't stable, but was in a perpetual state of motion. Suppose everyone decided to follow a god. In time, the countries of the world might turn around and decide to follow Kayura for a time, and then switch back. In the end, did his choice really matter? Could one person really make a difference?

Naaza suddenly stopped trying to slice open his bubble, shouting silently at the water.

"Ja Ga Ken!"

Okay, so he wasn't shouting, he was saying his phrase. How was Shin to know? What surprised Shin, however, was that poison was seeping into the water bubble and he was having a harder time controlling it. The blue water turned red and split open, allowing Naaza to slither through and land on the rain soaked docks unimpeded.

Oh dear, this could be problematic.

"Ja Ga Ken!"

Naaza spread his poisonous vapors out around him, letting the rain absorb it and become tainted. Soon, the Doko had four extra swords of poison at his hips from the polluted water. Shin swam back a few feet. This couldn't be good.

It wasn't.

Naaza sheathed his bladed swords and pulled out a pair of his poisonous ones. Coiling his tail once more, the snake sprang forward, venomous weapons preparing to slash. Shin brought up his water staff on instinct, blocking the strike. It proved to be a bad idea, however, since the poison quickly infected his staff, making his hands burn.

Releasing the water from the staff, Shin flipped over Naaza again, using his tail fin to slap the Doko away. The columns of water offshore were still pelting the city in rain. Shin needed time to think about what was happening, and he wasn't being given the chance. Naaza recovered quickly.

"Ja Ga Ken!"

The venom spread out once more, not infecting the water, but this time seeping into the docks, ships and warehouses that surrounded them.

"This isn't good," Shin muttered.

The pier beneath him exploded, as well as much of the surrounding structures.

Shin wasn't exactly sure how long he was unconscious; all he knew was that he woke up underwater. Looking himself over, he saw that he was still on the astral plane. His choice hadn't been made yet.

Sighing, Shin swam back up to the surface to try and ascertain where he was this time. He broke the surface of the water quickly and looked around. It appeared that he was underneath Peace, deep inside the city given the older construction that he observed. Debris floated along and light filtered through gaping holes where buildings were supposed to be. Naaza was evidently destroying the city in search for him. More wreckage floated by, smelling of dead and rotting fish that made Shin's stomach turn. He couldn't let this continue. This may be the astral plane, but Peace was his home! He couldn't just let Naaza level it because of a justified hatred of sirs. Naaza was entitled to his hatred, but this would endanger innocent lives!

But such resolve didn't bring Shin any closer to figuring out just how to stop the snake. Shin merely sighed and bared it as he dove back underwater. Once there, he wasn't encumbered by floating carnage that required maneuvering. Below the floating wreckage, Shin was able to swim quickly towards the pier once more with steady powerful strokes of his tail fin. He swiftly swam through the water and swam into the air, trying to see where the center of all the chaos was. He spotted it easily, given that another building exploded. Shin paused briefly in contemplation. Should he stop the water columns that were making the rain and giving Naaza something to control? It wouldn't matter. The Doko would either used his venom to corrode the wood and make the homes burn, or he would use the water it had soaked to do whatever he wanted to it. As for him, he had water under him, so it didn't matter that he had water over him, except that calling water from above would be easier given the circumstances.

Half a dozen to one, half a dozen to the other.

The water seemed to respond to his inner turmoil by raining down harder, pressing down any anything it landed on, creating a large weight that could very well crush someone. In response to the sudden downpour, another building, a shop probably given the area it was in, blew up, a tall pillar of greasy smoke rising into the air.

Shin gave a hard slap of his tail fin and swam towards the epicenter of this disaster. Naaza was still standing, despite the deluge from the water, but he was clearly having some difficulty. Shin easily created another staff in front of him and took a defensive posture. The wood around them creaked under the strain of the rain and the battle.

Naaza hissed something before shouting, "Ja Ga Ken!" This time, he aimed his poisonous venom up toward the sky, polluting the rain and making some sort of acid rain beating down on them, eating away at the wood. It burned Shin and he quickly pulled from the water below him, shouting his phrase and making a shield above him.

"That hurt, sir?" Naaza spat, pulling out his poison swords. "You don't even know the meaning of the word!"

There had to be some way to get the polluted water back under his control. Shin was faintly aware of the tainted water, but he couldn't call upon it like he could with pure water. There had to be something.

Lagging in the back of Shin's mind, however, was still the doubt of whether or not his choice would really matter that much in the great scheme of things, even if this was a godly-created encounter.

Shin ripped water from the sea below him, tearing apart the wooden street in order to create a shield as Naaza sprang at him once more. This time, he kept putting new water into the shield as a measure to avoid having it corrupted. It worked briefly, but before long Shin was forced back once more. This wasn't getting him anywhere. They were matching each other blow for blow. There was no way he could do anything alone.

Naaza sprang forward once more. Shin misjudged the Doko's path and couldn't doge it. Naaza landed on top of him laughing, venom swords just barely touching his neck as his snake tail wrapped itself around Shin, tying him up. Something caught his eye briefly. They were back at his mother's shop.

He couldn't let it end like this. Even if nothing was permanent, even if everything was completely unstable, the future didn't really matter. It was the here and now that Shin lived in. And right now, he didn't want his mother to suffer his loss. One person could make a difference in someone's life, positive or negative. The Kamek affected thousands of lives negatively in Sthiss, but he made a difference. The High Elder of Daasa Laska and Touma's uncle made a positive difference in their countries, aiding thousands. And those thousands were affected by just one person.

Shin realized that he could make a difference in the here and now, even if the future undid everything he wished to do, he could at least try and ease the pains of those around him the best he could. That was his choice.

"Cho Ryo Ha!"

Shin let everything he felt in that moment go out to every drop of water he was connected to and it responded. The pollution was tossed aside, letting the infected water be healed as Shin would heal his mother's sickness. Naaza pulled his attention away from Shin in shock, looking at all he had come to control be purified.

Shin created his staff once more and used it to shove the snake off of him. For the first time in the battle, the Suiko finally went on the offensive, throwing everything he had at the snake without deliberately hurting him. It wasn't long before Naaza's retreating form fell back and Shin pinned him down.

He was breathing heavily, having exerted everything. The rain fell away, letting the sun fall down on them.

"By your beliefs," Shin stated, still breathing hard, "and everything I saw in Sthiss, as a cursed sir I should just kill you."

Naaza scowled, his eyes throwing hatred.

"However," Shin let his staff dissolve and soak through the wooden street back to the sea below. "By _my_ beliefs, every single life is beautiful and precious, and the hate we feel now can be eased with time and friends. What has happened in the past and what might happen in the future is inconsequential. What we choose to do _now_ is what we must live with." Shin offered his hand.

Naaza stared at him for a long time, gauging a hated sir. Finally, he let out a long sigh and took the offered hand.

* * *

"By far, those two had the most difficult choices," Kaosu observed.

Kayura ignored him, "Those two destroyed the city! I can't believe them! I'm so glad I put them on the astral plane; are they insane? They couldn't just follow Touma and Shuten's example?"

Arago was roaring in incoherent rage, no sounds actually making any sign of becoming comprehensible words.

Nasutei backed away from Arago's fury slightly, observing the mirror that Kikoutei held. There was still one more pair that was fighting.

* * *

The strength, weapons, and aide Ryo had received from the six Chosen were truly a blessing. For the first time, it was Badamon who was taking hits instead of just the Rekka disciple. However, even though they were even, Ryo was still more injured than Badamon was. Though nothing was serious, the wounds were plentiful, and tiring him further than he would want. To add to matters, Badamon had taken to shifting the scenery so as to put Ryo in a disadvantage, rather than just disorient him.

Ryo's striped tail twitched as he circled around Arago's disciple. The weapons that were hurled towards him or utilized in a more traditional manner weren't that much of a problem anymore given the power boost that Seiji and Anubisu had given him. Deep down, Ryo had to admit that he was surprised that almost all of the Chosen had sided with his master. He was certain that some would end up with Arago. Still, he was hardly dismissing the help they were giving them, all six sitting quietly in the back of his mind, observing his battle, communicating with those they had been separated from, and above all, giving Ryo hope.

Badamon lunged first, a pair of swords similar to his copy of the Go Retsu Ken. Ryo blocked, but in his tiger-based shape, he didn't have the same leverage as his blue-skinned opponent. It was amazing that he was able to hold his swords in his paws at all. Ryo roared his frustration, his sharp teeth flashing in the moonlit setting Badamon had chosen.

Falling and rolling back, Ryo whipped his tail out, whacking Badamon in the face as Byakuen had often done with him. Badamon was surprised, his swords disappearing. Taking the advantage, the Rekka pounced forward, claws, teeth, and swords ready to strike. Unfortunately, Badamon ducked out of the way, changing their location once more. Rather than landing on the ground, Ryo fell into water.

Growling in anger, Ryo placed his swords into his mouth and tried to swim and determine his whereabouts at the same time. The salt-smelling water quickly soaked through his torn shirt and matted his fur and hair down. Given the amount of wood he was swimming under and around, he guessed that he was probably in Peace, but the city itself looked to have been torn apart, gaping holes in the wood above his head and debris drifting along gave mute testimony to whatever carnage Badamon had decided on for the setting.

Ryo snorted, trying to get water out of his nose. Up ahead was a building, the structure half collapsed into the water. It would be his best way to climb up from under the city. From there, he could track down Badamon again from his sense of smell easily. Extending his claws once more, Ryo tried to pull himself up on the sunken structure without destabilizing it and having to look for some other way to get out of the water.

It was a slower process than he would have preferred, but he finally made it to the roof of the structure and hopped over to a more stable roof before landing on the wooden street below. Dropping his swords to the ground, he took a deep breath and shook the water violently from his fur, though his torn shirt was still dripping.

Ryo took another deep breath and looked around. He was in the market of Peace. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly sure what part of the city he was in when he fell into the water. That was going to make tracking Badamon hard, since Peace appeared to have weathered some sort of hurricane. With water soaking everything, distinguishing scents was going to be difficult. Picking up the swords in his mouth once more, Ryo ran in the direction he had been swimming in hopes of finding the blue skinned disciple.

He skidded to a halt, something in the air catching his nose. It was a pair of scents, rather than one, and both were rather familiar. Ryo looked around, noting where he was and gently padded down an alley to a parallel street. Peeking his head out, his suspicions were confirmed. His swords dropped from his mouth.

"Shin? Naaza?"

Both looked up, surprised.

"Ryo!" Shin immediately swam towards him. Through air. Ryo decided that the astral plane was far more complicated than he had initially thought. Naaza slithered along behind.

"Ryo, you're hurt," Shin stated, pointing to the blood that matted Ryo's fur. "Please tell me most of that blood isn't yours."

Ryo let out a sigh. "Most of its probably mine. It looks worse than it is. I only was able to pull even with Badamon recently. He had the advantage before that."

Shin looked critically at him. "Cho Ryo Ha!" The water that still clung to the Rekka and his shirt finally pulled away, leaving him disheveled, but dry. The mental connection with Shin and Naaza opened and Ryo received certainty for the first time. He had all eight. Every single of the one of the Chosen had decided upon his master. There was no way that Badamon could win this fight.

Naaza looked at Ryo with a critical eye.

"Those are numerous wounds."

Ryo smiled. "None of them are life-threatening."

Naaza lowered himself to Ryo's level and looked more closely at the several cuts and abrasions he'd collected in his fight. "Infection's setting in with some of those non-life-threatening wounds. Ja Ga Ken."

Ryo felt warmth flow through him as the Doko removed the infection and cleansed the injuries.

"There they are!"

Naaza, Shin, and Ryo looked down the street to see the other six coming towards them.

"What?" Shin asked, befuddled. "How? Eh?"

Touma laughed, grabbed Shuten around the neck, and rubbed a feathered hand through the red hair. "Once Shuten here saw that you could move to wherever you wanted in the astral plane, he suggested we go about finding everyone. Our connection had already been reestablished with Rajura and Shuu, so we picked them up first-"

"More like dropped right on top of us," Rajura grumbled, tapping his staff onto the prince's head. "We started to jump around randomly after that to try and find these two," he continued, jabbing a leg towards the pair of elves. "We went to both Daasa Laskas and then randomly guessed where in the surrounding forests they might be."

Seiji took over the narration. "It was when our connection was brought to life with Ryo again that they actually set out a rather rude question of where we were. I refused to tell them until they asked more respectfully."

"I wasn't that patient," Anubisu retorted. "I just sent the image to Shuten. They appeared not long after that."

"A bit more gracefully," Shuu added.

Shuten finally pulled himself out of Touma's roughhousing, and said, "We were searching Sthiss for a long time before Seiji suggested we come here to Peace. We just got here when the link with you two opened, so we came running."

Naaza, Shin, and Ryo looked to each other, still absorbing everything that had just been said. Ryo broke first, falling to the ground laughing hysterically.

Shuu chuckled good-naturedly as well, the other Troopers joining in. "It does make for a funny story, doesn't it?"

"I'm sure it's something my grandkids will enjoy," Touma agreed, "'See, Grandpa Touma knew what to do, he just didn't know how to do it. It took Shuten-jiji to actually get the logistics worked out and pound them into your wayward Grandpa.'" Shuten's three tails swished in amusement.

"'As is always the case, since Shuten-jiji must constantly find some way to get Grandpa Touma's head out of the clouds and back on the ground,'" he finished.

Touma blushed under his feathers. "I'm enthusiastic, but I'm not that bad!"

"If Luga was any indication," Shin intoned, "yes you are. You nearly gave that poor Mirror Master a heart-attack."

"You also have a habit of flying to fast for those of us who are unaccustomed to flying," Seiji added.

"Sounds like the stuff of legends if you ask me," Rajura retorted. Touma turned to the spider, eyes wide in gratitude. "There might be some good stories in there to scare children to sleep." Touma deflated instantly.

Anubisu turned to Seiji and Naaza. "It would appear that the Hashiban prince is in need of a few lessons in self-restraint."

Seiji smiled. "I think self-restraint is a concept that only elves truly understand."

Naaza grimaced. "Believe me, I'm not as bad as when I was a child. I was blaze-fire back then to any adult."

Ryo's laughter kept increasing.

Shuu slid over to Naaza. "Really? I was bad on my folks as well. We must compare notes at some point so we know what to expect with our own kids one day."

Naaza gave out a hissing laugh. "You don't want to know what I did."

"You're just making me more interested."

Anubisu passively interjected, "As long as he doesn't put sake in your tea, you two will get along well."

Ryo finally rolled onto his back, his paws waving in the air, his tail moving with his guffaws. To think that this would happen. While there was still some obvious tension between the Chosen, they were all putting it aside and using sarcasm and biting commentary to try and get past the issues they had. Ryo kept laughing, letting all the tension and worry he'd had over the past year finally slip away. He had all eight. He'd win. There was no feasible way that Badamon could claim a victory without anyone on his side.

The scenery around him shifted once more and Ryo stopped laughing, righting himself. He was on an open field under a red sky dotted by a white moon and silver clouds. Reaching for his swords, he realized that they weren't next to him. They were back in Peace with the others. Ryo cursed softly, his tail moving in intricate patterns to match his mood.

"Congratulations," Badamon's voice reverberated all around him. "You seem to have tricked all eight to follow you and your god. Pity it won't make any difference."

Ryo took a deep breath, sorting all the smells around him, trying to find Arago's blue-skinned follower.

"Hey Ryo!"

The Rekka turned and saw all eight standing behind him.

"You forgot these!" Anubisu tossed out the copy of the Go Retsu Ken, which Ryo caught easily.

"Many thanks," Ryo called back. "Just remember," he continued, his eyes going hard. "This is my fight. Don't interfere. I don't want any of you hurt."

"You needed worry about them," Badamon's voice chortled. "Ran Sei Zan!"

Stars surrounded Ryo, pelting him and stealing his heat, slicing through his fur and shirt. Ryo blocked his head area and curled down to the ground.

"Ryo!" one of the Chosen called.

"Give him blazes!"

"Pay him back for what he did to me!"

"Make him regret everything he's done in Sthiss."

"You can do it!"

"Beat that blue illegitimate!"

"Get up!"

"We're with you!'

Ryo felt all eight pulsing brightly in the back of his mind. It was all so clear to him. Every movement. Every sound. Every scent. He'd win. Because he had his group.

"Sou En Zan!" Fire burst out around Ryo, shoving the offending stars away. Ryo leapt high into the air, his swords gleaming in the moonlight. Badamon was just over the rise, as he had sensed. He came down viscously, swords easily disarming the blue-skinned disciple. Ryo let his own swords fall by the wayside and pounced on top of Badamon, letting out a roar similar to Byakuen. Badamon rolled with the tackle, managing to get Ryo off of him. He struggled to stand as Ryo whipped his tail out, striking Badamon behind the knees, making him crumple to the ground again. Ryo jumped and landed on the glass-jawed man. This time, Ryo didn't bother to try and be gentle with his weight and used its full force to pin his opponent to the ground, his claws digging into Arago's disciple's back.

"Admit it, Badamon," Ryo growled. "You've lost. So has Arago-baka. End this farce and swallow the pride you're so desperately holding onto. You can't win. All eight chose of their own minds. There was no interference from the gods. They _chose_ my master. Not yours."

Badamon only laughed in a high pitched voice, insanity falling over his mind like a thick fog.

"I'll always have my lord Arago!" Badamon cried out. "I can't lose to you, you furball! I can't! I can't!"

Ryo had heard enough, and with a swift swipe of his paw, he broke the glass-jaw, knocking Badamon out.


	36. Endgame 35

The job done, the battle decided, ten spirits drifted out of the Kikoutei's Mirror and reappeared in Kayura's temple. Inochi and the Ken twins stepped out of Badamon's and Ryo's bodies respectively, and the two immediately collapsed. The Troopers rushed automatically to Ryo, the Masho not far behind.

Kayura clapped her hands together happily. "Ladies and mostly gentlemen!" she called out, "we have a winner!" She gestured to Kaosu and took his hand, raising it into the air. She jumped up and down like a child, cheering. Kaosu, much more formal than the game master, merely smirked and tried to contain himself. The armored Arago was aghast.

"How is this possible?" he demanded, his voice booming and grabbing everyone's attention. "I cannot loose! I cannot!"

Kayura turned to the god, her face angry. "You can and you did, you messed up old fuddy duddy! Ha! Now that this is over I don't have to hide my opinion of you." She sniffed and crossed her arms. That did not last long, however, as she put one hand on her hip and raised the other in a scolding gesture. "You're a mean, stuck up, cranky, bullying, cheating, good for nothing, loser. L O S E R, loser! Nyah!" Kayura made a face at Arago. "If I hadn't spent so much time making this game, maneuvering it to perfection, I would have banished you when you kidnapped me! Ah, surprised?" she asked. Everyone had a jaw or some other body part on the floor as they all gaped at her. She just smiled. She was enjoying this. "You went and ruined all the fun I was having! Kaosu at least knows enough to follow the rules. Now, since you're the loser, you get the hell out of here!"

"Hell?" Touma asked. "What's that?"

Kayura was busy, however, calling up an unprecedented amount of energy. Then, with the mere snap of her fingers, Arago literally disappeared. She dusted off her hand, the look of supreme satisfaction on her face. "I've been waiting to do that for centuries," she said expansively. "I don't know what I would have done if he'd won."

"Kayura-sama!" Ryo drew out, finally with it enough to complain. "You didn't tell me I was going to be fighting Badamon!"

The goddess smirked and gave a victory sign. "Surprised you, didn't I?" she said gleefully. "I love shocking people. Oh, this is so fun!"

Her laughter was superseded, however, by a giggle that was far from sane. Everyone's attention turned to the blue skinned Badamon, now masterless and godless. He sat up, his robes disheveled and his eyes not quite in focus. He continued laughing. "He's gone. He's gone! Hahahahahaha, he's gone! Ahahahahahahahaha! I am now the strongest! I take his place as god! You will all bow down to me, Ran Sei Zan!"

Even Ryo flinched back, not knowing what to expect. But nothing happened, however. Kayura only grinned, barely able to contain her own laughter.

Badamon stared at his hands, utterly confused. "Ran Sei Zan. Ran Sei Zan! Ran Sei Zan!!"

Kayura hopped over to him and got in his face. "Missing something?" she asked; her voice so sweet that sugar was dripping from it.

Badamon only laughed harder, however, his mind now completely gone. The Troopers looked on with pity, not wanting a fate like that to befall anyone, yet glad that it was Badamon and not Ryo. The Masho were more mixed in their gazes. Some were glad to see the less than likable disciple to finally get what was coming to him.

Kayura, however, was still enjoying it all. She only laughed along with Badamon, supremely satisfied with herself.

Ryo stepped forward. "Kayura-sama," he said slowly. "This is serious. Shouldn't you do something about him?"

"You! You! YOU!!" Badamon's eyes focused on Ryo, and his blue face contorted with rage and he lunged at his fellow disciple.

The former game master would have none of that, however, and waved her finger. Badamon froze in midair. "You," she said; suddenly all business, "need a time out." She waved a finger and Badamon disappeared. "Let's see how long it takes him to get out of the caves of Yamchii."

The spirit of the Kikoutei nodded, appreciating the punishment.

"What the cursed blazes is going on here?" Shuu demanded. "Sorry, Kayura-sama," he added quickly. "Where's Arago and what happened to Badamon that he couldn't use is maho and how come Ryo was on the astral plane and speaking of the astral plane how come a place of the mind kept having such physical properties like injuries and stuff and why were we part animals and why the curses are you all staring at me?" Shuu paused. "Sorry again, Kayura-sama."

The goddess took all this in stride however, still in complete command of the situation. "One thing at a time," she said slyly before sliding over to Nasutei. The redhead bowed her head in respect, but the confusion and slight fear were not well hidden from her face.

"Now then," Kayura said. She took Nasutei's hands in hers and held them to her chest. "You are much more deserving of this gift than Badamon ever was." There was a faint lavender light, and Nasutei disappeared.

"Where--" Shuu started.

"I just sent my newest disciple off to receive her maho!" Kayura said brightly, enjoying that everyone fell deep into the worn stone floor.

"Your what??" Rajura and Shuten demanded in unison.

Ryo caught on a little quicker. "Is THAT why she could connect to fire and stars? Because eventually one day she would inherit their maho?"

Kayura bobbed her head up and down, the picture of an energetic child. Before more questions could be thrown out, there was a pillar of lavender light, and Nasutei reappeared, none the worse for wear. The Troopers looked on enviously.

"Woah," was all the new disciple could say.

"Does someone, anyone, want to explain things?" Anubisu asked quietly.

"Oh, but I'm so enjoying myself!" Kayura said, literally skipping over to the Yami. "I've had to be prim and proper and solemn for centuries so no one could know my opinion and so that I could judge fairly. Now that I can finally act like myself, I want to enjoy it a little!"

"And for those of us left in the dark?" Shin asked. "Please forgive me, Kayura-sama, but we're not seeing the big picture like you are."

Kaosu stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on the goddess. "They'll need to know eventually, better to have them find out now while they're curious."

Kayura could only pout in reply. "You're such a stick in the mud, Kaosu." But she turned to the others and smiled brightly. "Tea? Everyone?"

It took a moment for everyone to settle down and for Kayura to pour the tea. Once they did, Kayura joined her fellow god at the head of the circle that they had all made. "What's the first question?"

"Start at the beginning," Seiji said quietly.

"Sure," Kayura said happily. Then she paused. "Which beginning?"

Several people face faulted, but Ryo, more used to Kayura, shot out his question first. "Why were Badamon and I sent to the astral plane? It was a choice between the Chosen, wasn't it?"

The goddess raised her hand. "Oh! I know this! I know this!"

"You should know it; you're the game master," Naaza muttered under his breath.

Kayura threw him a potentially deadly glare but answered Ryo's question. "Well, you wanted a final showdown with Badamon, a fair fight to prove who the better was, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess."

Kayura clapped her hands together. "Well, I granted your wish! Besides, it's poetic. Badamon, the man who relies on himself, against Ryo, who has absolutely no self-esteem unless someone is backing him up."

Ryo made a face. "I'm not that bad!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, you are," Nasutei, Kayura, and Kaosu said simultaneously. Ryo hung his head in defeat.

"Why were we in animal forms?" That was Shin.

"Your forms on the astral plane are a mental projection of who you are. That includes your heritage, your desires, and your expectations."

"If the astral plane is all a state of mind," Anubisu asked. "Then why was it possible for us to sustain injuries?"

"Again, mental expectations," Kaosu explained. "Even knowing where you were, your mind expected injury and pain. You received what you expected."

Seiji and Anubisu looked anxious to question the gods further on what the astral plane was capable of, but Shuu threw out the next question. "How did we even get here? We turned into light or something. Say, where is here?"

Kayura raised her hand, but the spirit of the Kikoutei answered. "It was necessary to take you to the astral plane in order to begin the endgame. My mirror, among other things, provided a very easy way to do that. It also made taking you here, to Kayura's temple, much simpler."

"We all have many gifts," Inochi said, sitting by her brother. "I cleansed your minds to prepare you. Go and Retsu made you light, and dear Kikoutei took us here."

Ryo suddenly straightened. "Where are Byakuen and Kokueno?"

"They are bringing the horses here," one of the Ken brothers said.

"Okay, next question," Touma said, raising his hands. The Troopers groaned in anticipation. "The whole Nasutei disciple thing?" The redhead in question blushed and looked to Kayura, also confused on the subject.

"Well, after I set up the rules of the game," Nasutei said. "I saw Ryo's devotion to Kaosu, among other things, and I realized, 'I want a disciple too!' Kenbukyo was sweet and all. He was going to be it, but then he sacrificed himself." Kayura frowned, and looked distant. "But his kids were also loyal, and I figured why not? I finally get someone who is an embodiment of my ideals! Right, Nasutei-chan?"

The new disciple was now bright red in embarrassment.

"She has a bit to learn, at first. Ryo is going to be her senpai for a while until she learns the ropes."

"Senpai?" Rajura asked, unfamiliar with the word.

Kayura ignored him and pressed on. "But she already has the core of it. It's nice to have someone devoted to me!" She smiled and threw her arms around Nasutei, openly displaying her affection for her.

"Where is Arago?" Shuten asked solemnly, pressing on.

"He has returned to his family," Kaosu said. "He will not be received well due to his failure to defeat me."

"He will not come back?" Shuten continued, wanting to be sure.

"He will not," Kaosu said. "Unless he breaks many, many rules we placed upon ourselves. If he were to do that, he would face great punishment. It is unlikely that he would want to be at the receiving end of such punishment."

Rajura raised his hand next. "And Badamon? Is he, too, gone for good?"

Kayura shook her head, sipping her tea. "He is something of an example. A symbol. When you live long, long lives, you tend to forget things after a while. Your minds can retain a lot, but not us much as ours. I want to make sure that you remember this."

"Remember?" Shin asked. "How could we ever forget?"

Kayura shook her finger. "I'm not taking any chances. Badamon will remain here, and unless he decides to end his life here, he will be floating around and doing whatever he wants."

Kaosu continued. "His mind may be gone, but his purpose is not. He will remain here until that purpose is done."

Everyone sat for a moment, absorbing the information. The endgame was over, but their roles here were not. This caused Shin to ask his next question. "What happens now?"

Kayura grinned manically. "I finally get to show my hand," she said in what could almost be interpreted as an evil voice. She laughed heartily and continued. "Now that I don't have the responsibility of looking over the children, Kaosu and Arago, I can take a more active role as goddess. Once the dust settles for all of you, he and I are going to sit down and have a long, long talk on how to manage this little world that I've made." Kaosu bowed his head in grave un-enthusiasm. "You all can do what you want, now. You still have your maho, you're too attached to each other for me to bear splitting you up, and like Ryo and Badamon, you'll live as long as you need to."

"'As long as we need to?'" Shuu asked.

"Yes," Kaosu said. "In order for you all to have maho, the span of your lives had to be slightly altered. Instead of having a maximum age, as people do, you live as long as you need to."

"How is 'need to' determined?" Anubisu asked.

Kayura frowned. "You know, I never figured that part out." She smiled and clapped her hands together. "I guess we'll just have to find out, won't we?"

Many people face faulted; and while they recovered, Kikoutei, Inochi, and Go and Retsu stood.

"It is time for us to go," Kikoutei said. "We, too, are free to do as we please, and we have plans to begin."

Everyone stood, and Ryo and Nasutei stepped forward. Ryo looked to the spirits of the Go Retsu Ken. "You won't be long, will you?" he asked.

One of the brothers shook his head. "Only for a few years. Unlike our sister Inochi and our brother Kikoutei, we have not had the chance to discover our abilities. We want to see what we can do on our own."

Ryo nodded, his face a mixture of emotions. "It'll be a hard few years, but I understand." He bowed to them deeply. "Thank you for letting me bear you."

The redheaded warriors bowed to him in return. "Thank you for letting us protect you."

Nasutei looked to Inochi and Kikoutei. "You will always be welcome to me," she said simply.

Kikoutei and Inochi, their dark skin in contrast with Nasutei's pale skin, embraced her. "Thank you," Kikoutei said.

Ryo and Nasutei stepped back, and the pair bowed to the three gifts of the gods, the eight chosen bowing with them. Kaosu and Kayura nodded their heads. The goddess told them to have fun, and the god wished them a safe journey. The spirits entered Kikoutei's mirror, and they left.

"Were there any other questions?" Kayura asked. "We have a few days until the tigers can get the horses here."

* * *

The Outlet was the same as it was a year ago. The tents and awnings were bustling in activity, merchants shouting out bargain prices for their wares, citizens from almost every country mingling and trading. It was odd for Ryo and the Chosen to be back where everything had started. None of them could truly look at everything in the same light any more. They received an odd stare from time to time, since their group was a very odd combination, but they ignored it. Their horses were stabled and they had arrived at the temple tent that Shin had been in charge of before deserting to participate on this quest.

"It's strange being back here," Seiji commented, sitting on one of the benches.

Shin was up by the alter, looking with a critical eye. "It appears my replacement needs to be reschooled in how to keep this neat." He turned, looking at the various paintings that were delicately hung on the fabric walls. "I've just realized, I haven't actually been in a temple since we left, not really."

Naaza looked around, feeling decidedly uncomfortable. "It's not as fancy as I thought. Are temples outside of Sthiss normally this. . .barren?"

"No," Touma replied, looking around as well. "According to monk-sirs, Kaosu teaches moderation, so temples display what the leading priest generally feels as appropriately moderate."

"That does explain a few things," Naaza whispered.

"The paintings," Shuten murmured from where he was studying one, "are rather exaggerated, aren't they?"

Shin shrugged. "When I took over this temple, I was given a blank slate to work with. I chose pictures that I thought would be meditative and give people something to contemplate while they were in here. Since I thought I'd only be gone for a short while, I left instructions not to take anything down." Shin ran a hand over the blue alter. "I'll have to tell the Kamek of Lillimundrale that I'll be resigning my post here and going to Sthiss as soon as possible."

Naaza gave a hissing laugh. "You won't last five minutes down there without my help."

Shin smiled. "I'll be depending on it every step of the way. I think you'll agree with how I'll be changing things down there."

Naaza snorted. "I'm going to have a rather large say it what happens down there as well."

Shuu laughed. "If you need any help with those nasty staff-wielding sirs, you can find me in Luga. I think I'm going to actually start a mercenary training center that does more than just require that you question the blazes out of your employer. I'm still working out the full logistics of it, but I want Lugans to be the most honorable fighters, as well as the best."

"Ha," Naaza spat. "A good Sthissian could slither circles around ten of your Lugan best."

"That's why this big Lugan ape is going to need me," Rajura interjected. "If a mercenary's going to be good, he'd better be expecting the unexpected." The Gen gave a cold smile. "I can think of a few illusions to use to whip them into shape."

Shuu wrapped an arm around Rajura's neck and started to rub the white head. "Is this unexpected enough for you?"

Everyone laughed.

"I'll probably head back to Tou Hashiba tomorrow," Touma stated. "I really need to start looking at who my advisors are going to be. I'll also need to secure a few things with my uncle, like a full pardon for Shuten here for past deeds."

Said Kitsune offered a sly foxy grin.

"I regret that I'll be unable to accompany you," Seiji replied. "I must return to Daasa Laska and discuss with my grandfather and the other elders what has transpired over this past year."

"Then I shall go in your place," Anubisu offered with a wolfish grin. "I might have more insight into the darker side of humanity than you." Seiji returned the grin. "When you return to complete your study in Hashiba, I think I'll return to Yami Daasa Laska and teach the old fools there a few things about honor."

"Should you require any assistance," Seiji responded, tapping his head, "you know how to find me."

Rajura turned to Ryo, who was smiling the whole time they were talking. "What of you, Sana-" Rajura corrected himself, "Ryo? What will you do, now that we are walking separate paths?"

Ryo tapped his forehead. "None of you will ever be really separate. As for what I'll do, I haven't been able to really relax back at my master's Keep for a couple of millennia. I think I'm going to just relax and enjoy his company for a while. After that, who knows? I'm very good at wandering. There are always new things to learn."

Suddenly, at the opening of the temple tent, was an elaborately dressed Hashiban official, bow slung across his back and Touma's hawk on his shoulder. "Touma-sama? You're to come with me."


	37. Epilogue

Time passed as it invariantly did; something that not even the gods could change. Everyone went as they planned after the officer's discovery of Touma, and a quick ten years later, everyone received an invitation for tea at Kayura's.

Not knowing what to expect, they arrived at Kayura's temple to see the place had greatly changed. The grounds were now littered with people. Most were Lugans, but there was still a healthy mix of nations. Kayura's core temple, where they had returned after the endgame, was now littered with pews and alters and people.

Touma and Shuten wandered around, not knowing what they were supposed to do. "You don't think they're all here for tea, are you?" the prince asked quietly.

"Doubtful," Shuten answered. "This most likely has something to do with her talk about 'showing her hand.' I wonder sometimes if she plays with a full deck."

"Probably overly full," Touma said, more than used to Shuten's gambling expressions. When they had first started working together, they pair could barely speak to each other without losing what the other was saying. Shuten constantly used gambling references that Touma did not always know, and Touma had the inevitable habit of drawing comparisons with something, be it science or history or philosophy, which was almost always obscure. "She always likes to do things her way."

"Hey! There they are!" The two Hashibans turned to see Rajura and Shuu. The Lugan mercenary ran over to them, ready to bury them in bear hugs. Rajura was more sedate, merely walking up to them and nodding. "Place sure is crowded isn't it?" he asked.

"We were just talking about that," Shuten said. "How are you doing?"

"Good," Rajura said. He grinned, casting an evil glance to his partner. "Very good indeed."

"Do I want to know?" Touma asked.

"Aw," Shuu said, "he's just looking for a chance to brag. He's beaten me pretty soundly in the last couple of matches. He even won last winter’s Olympics, without maho naturally. He's looking to look down his nose at whoever won't punch him in the nose."

"So then things have not changed all that much," said a new voice. The quartet turned to see Shin and Naaza walk up.

"Things have been changing a lot from what I hear," Touma said, in between shaking hands and hugging.

"Just a few preliminary test runs," Shin said.

Naaza nodded. "About the only thing we have in common is patience. If we're going to live forever, then we might as well take things slowly."

"Those are very true words," Anubisu said as he and Seiji joined the growing entourage. They all exchanged greetings for a third time.

"Now what?" Seiji asked. "I doubt tea will be amongst this crowd."

"It's not." The eight of them turned to see Kayura. She held a finger to her lips. "Don't say my name," she whispered. "If these fanatics hear it, I'll never get anything done."

"Then why are they here, uh, child?" Rajura asked.

"Because you don't know where we're having tea. Follow me!" She giggled and skipped her way through the crowd, taking no notice of bumping into them or knocking them down. The eight followed at a politer pace to the back of the hall. They gathered in a tight circle, and Kayura knocked on a specific stone. She waited for a moment, and then smiled. "Okay, let's go." She then calmly stepped through the wall.

After varying responses, they followed hesitantly. The wall was only an illusion, however, and they followed the bouncing Kayura up the hidden stairs. After what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at the top.

It clearly was Kayura's personal chambers, much like the panoramic top floor of Kaosu's small tower. The ceiling of the cavern reached several hundred feet. But only spider like tendrils of stone traced their way to the floor, leaving vast, natural windows to show a near-panoramic view of the mountains of Luga. They were obviously very high up, they could see for miles and miles. The cavern itself was heavily carpeted, Anubisu's and Seiji's bare feet sinking into their plush softness. There were colored cushions and chairs at the center of the cavern, with a medium sized oak table that held a tea set and cakes. Elsewhere in the cavern were comfortable couches and ottomans and chairs, but no one bothered to explore because at the tea set were Ryo, Nasutei, and Kaosu.

"Hey!" Shuu called out, leading what could only be called a stampede to the center of the chamber. There was a Fuan family-style tackle hug, and it was not long before even Kaosu was buried.

"I've wanted to do that since the invite!" Shuu said expansively as he sat on an orange cushion. Nasutei poured the tea and handed the cups and the cakes out as everyone took their seats.

"Well," Kaosu said. "I suppose the first question to ask is how everyone is doing."

Everyone looked to everyone else, wondering who would start.

"Oh, come on!" Kayura said explosively. "Someone must have something they are dying to say."

Touma, deciding that he would be the best choice; blurted out his news. "I'm going to be coroneted soon." There were many congratulations before Ryo asked when. "Well, uncle set the date for the spring after next. A little over two years. You all know how over the moon he was when I came home not only in one piece, but also ready and willing to take the throne. I think we finally stopped partying two weeks after the fact."

"Touma's uncle is a very sleazy drunk," Shuten informed all of them. "A very, sleazy, drunk," he repeated.

Touma made a face but said nothing, stuffing the cake into his mouth. "I'm still advisor hunting, even after ten years of looking. You'd think I'd find someone with the right combination of skills, but they're really hard to find. Shuten's already complaining about all the work he has to do."

Shuten scoffed, and then said, "Right now I'm looking into current Hashiba University students. Some of them have potential, and I've been asking the faculty to start nudging them in the right direction." He jabbed his thumb in Touma's direction, "He won't let me to more than that."

Making another face, Touma defended himself. "I want my advisors to want to do what they do, to love their work. Forcing them to do something isn't going to be good for either them or me."

"That's very true," Shin said. "The same thing is happening in Sthiss. It can be frustrating to take such baby, baby steps, but any step is better than none, I suppose."

"What's your current title?" Seiji asked. "It keeps changing."

"Well, the official title right now is 'Head of Reconstruction, Development, and Organization.' Basically, I'm in charge of layout and placement of the new buildings in Suiss. Before I was in charge of political hierarchy; that's placement of all the new monk-sirs in the new system. Before that it was distribution of supplies, and before that was security."

Naaza laughed. "This honest sir has lying down to a craft," he said, ribbing the monk. "He gets his new title, disappears from their sight, and does all the ground work his way. Once everything's set in motion and can't be reversed, he reappears, gets yelled at, and then reassigned. They keep trying to put him lower in the ranks, but the new sirs won't allow it."

"They won't?" Anubisu asked.

"No," Shin said. "My very first post when I went back to Sthiss was the requests for new monk-sirs, the new army needed to quell the uprising and all that. I deliberately asked and requested monk-sirs I've served with before, who were even more pious and devoted than I was."

"Is that possible?" someone asked.

Shin ignored the remark and Naaza continued. "They hold protests and strikes until he gets put in a position of decent rank, and everything begins again."

"How do you disappear?" Kayura asked, sipping her tea to hide her grin.

"Me," Naaza said simply. When he did not elaborate, Shin picked up the narration. "I hide out in one of Naaza's many, many, back rooms. Naaza 'kidnaps' whoever I need and then drags them to me. I would then apologize profusely and use all the bartering skills I picked up from Shuu to get things done. In return I help out Naaza with the kids."

Many people blinked, not having heard of Naaza's work in Sthiss. "'Kids?'" Shuu repeated.

The Doko turned bright red and only glared in response. Shin laughed good-naturedly and explained. "The monk-sirs can be changed by bringing in the appropriate personnel, and by what I'm doing. The same cannot be said for the Sthissians who have suffered generations of abuse at the hands of the clergy. The current faction heads are so set in their ways that they won't accept any change at all. So Naaza decided to affect the next generation. He runs a biracial orphanage. He takes in runaways and orphans of humans and Sthissians and Dokos and forces them to live together and get used to each other. It's pretty small right now, but he screens everything they eat and drink, so there aren't any 'accidental' poisonings. Between the two of us - that's where I hide out to get all my work done - we heal the kids and teach them to read and write. I bring in some of the nicer Kaosan texts as well as some children's books I've written, and Naaza teaches them self-defense and how to survive in a place like Sthiss without getting in anyone's way and without joining a particular faction. I think we're setting a good example, a human and a Doko working together."

"Do they know that you are a monk-sir?" Rajura asked.

"Not yet. A few of the older kids have found out, but I just tell them to think of it as they will and go about my business. What they see is what they get, it's just a question of whether they can see or not, and that's what we're trying to teach them."

"Perhaps it would be a good idea, then," Seiji said, "for Anubisu and I to come down for some instruction once in a while. We are perhaps the perfect example of how people can put aside their differences."

Shin and Naaza looked to each other, their eyes darting back and forth, the only indication that they were having a mental conversation. It proved to be often faster than normal conversation. "Yes," they said simultaneously. Naaza, looking at Anubisu, asked, "How have things been going with you, you have been very quiet the last few years."

"Frankly, we haven't had the time to keep in touch as much as we want," the Yami replied. "The invitation for tea was a great idea and excellent timing. It took almost eight years to prove to those old fools that I was a newer, better, more honorable Anubisu." He scoffed. "If they were deer, their antlers would weigh their heads down and prevent them from seeing the truth. Once they finally accepted me as me, it didn't take them long to actually see that I was better than them, if for no other reason than because I had experience on the astral plane. The fact that I knew the gods personally, or had saved the world, or even had maho, is sadly inconsequential to them. Anyway, I became High Elder in a matter of months, and since then have had everyone at my doorstep seeking guidance. It's almost impossible to get anything done. Although," he added, cracking a grin. "It was nice to see their faces when Seiji and I met."

The Korin laughed. "Yes, that was very good. A Yami and a Korin meeting at the borders, in front of both councils of elders, and bowing to each other in greeting. I still have to remind my grandfather to pick his jaw off the ground once in a while."

"So things are progressing?" Ryo asked, munching on his cakes. Byakuen and Kokueno appeared from somewhere, and it was not long before the Rekka was snuggling into the white tiger's fur.

"Yes," Seiji answered. "My grandfather is still absorbing some of the lessons I had to learn, but he is very proud of me and has named me as his successor. Yayoi was furious." He smiled. "I have brought my lessons to the other Korin. They are slow to acceptance, as the people of Sthiss, but they respect my future position and the fact that I have learned volumes on my journey. After pulling some teeth, Anubisu arranged for us to meet at the borders. I brought my grandfather and the rest of my family, as well as the rest of the elders. Anubisu brought his elders. Once we were both at the border, we walked out to each other, bowed, and embraced each other to symbolize just what our plans were."

"It was a tense moment," Anubisu said. "The elders were staring at each other, ready to draw their swords if needs be, and none of them expected what we did, which was the point. There were curses to pay afterwards; everyone looked at us like we had committed a sin." He laughed. "But it was the first step. Once Seiji takes his grandfather's place as High Elder, we'll step up our plans. With both of us in charge, we will have a better ability to make the changes, so long as they stop bugging me about the astral plane."

Seiji grinned. "You can politely tell them that it is a journey that they must make on their own. That is what I did and it was worked very well. I hardly get questioned about the astral plane, instead I am bothered about light and how I use it." Seiji blushed slightly. "They seem to think I am, well, 'enlightened.'"

Everyone laughed. Seiji only blushed further and searched for a change in topic. "Rajura? Shuu? How are you faring?"

"Pretty good," Shuu said. He picked up his fourth cake and stuffed it into his mouth while still talking. Rajura quickly landed his fist into the mercenary's skull and muttered something about manners.

"We have indeed set up a school for training mercenaries. It is finally starting to gain popularity, and the students are learning well. The 'obstacle courses,' are really my illusions with some added effects from Shuu, and they are actually fast learners. It is the more intellectual matters that they have a problem with."

"Oh some of it is easy," Shuu said. "Army training and conduct goes over pretty well, but you try and teach them strategies or mathematics or the 'philosophy of fighting' that Rajura teaches and they all go a little swirly eyed."

"Idiocy is no tolerated," Rajura said flatly.

"No, but it's encouraged," Shuu said lightly. "Rajura handles all the bureaucratic stuff. He's a natural at it, but he couldn't haggle his way into a bargain if his life depended on it. And, he's continually trying to change the name of the school, the Rurouni Wandering Samurai of Justice."

Rajura cringed at the name. "It was the last time I ever made a decision when I was drunk."

"Oh, is that how you managed it?" Ryo asked.

"Yup!" Shuu answered proudly.

Rajura hit him again and continued. "We have Luna-Leader interested in our little school. She doesn't know what she's going to do with us officially, but she's mentioned privately looking into making us the first mercenary's guild. She's also talking about finally making a peacekeeper force. It's been in debate for years, from what I understand, but our school looks like a promising start."

"Wow, you guys have been pretty busy," Ryo said, pouring himself another cup of tea.

"And you haven't?" Touma asked.

"Well," Ryo said, blushing.

Nasutei tsked him and said, "He's been just as busy as all of you. He may have finished teaching me maho, but he hasn't stopped teaching me how to be a disciple. I'm afraid I'm a rather horrid student, I go to him with questions on everything, some of which pulling meaning and importance from something that is so natural to him that he doesn't know how to answer. I still have a lot to learn, I'm afraid."

"No you don't!" Ryo defended. "You learned everything there is to learn about being a disciple, and you've also learned everything there isn't to learn. You're going to be just fine." The Rekka turned to his friends. "I think she's just latching onto me because I'm around all the time. You guys should stop by more so she can latch on to you."

"Ryo!" Nasutei said blushing. But she did eye a few of the men there. They all backed away in fear.

Ryo continued. "When I haven't been answering every question under the sun, I've been helping my master and Kayura-sama set up her new religion. She's doing a lot of experimenting, that's why all the fanatics are downstairs. They all are doing their own thing and Kayura's figuring out which she likes better."

"It's so hard to choose!"

Everyone ignored her. "She's also been walking around Luga to see if anyone would notice her."

"Then is WAS you that stopped by that one time?" Shuu demanded. "I didn't want to walk up to you and say, 'Hey, aren't you Kayura-sama?' That would have sounded so stupid if you weren't you. You looked different."

Kayura nodded. "Because you all have maho, I can appear to you as I am. That doesn't quite work as well with people without maho. So I have to change myself a little."

"A little?" Rajura asked flatly. Everyone laughed.

"There have been a lot of changes in the last ten years," Ryo said. "I wonder how the spirits are doing?"

"You haven't heard from Go and Retsu or the others?" Seiji asked.

"No. I miss them a lot. But I understand that they need to do their own thing. I just wish it didn't take so long."

Kaosu and Kayura looked at him, but said nothing. They had heard from the spirits, and were asked not to say anything.

"And Badamon?" Shuten asked.

The gods looked to each other. "Oh, he's around."

* * *

Badamon struggled, taking one step after another after another. He had been in darkness for as long as he could remember, in darkness since his master had died. It was all Sanada Ryo's fault that his master was dead. His fault. His fault! Badamon laughed; a low, vibrating giggle of the insane. He would find his way out of these caves. He would find his way out of these caves, and then he would find and kill Sanada Ryo.

He would kill Sanada Ryo!

**The End**


End file.
